Six people were killed in the Lahaina area; their ages range from 66 for Tau Ponali to 78 for Valerie Kauffman to 77 for Salvador Coloma to 54 for Carlo Tobias to 62 for Albert Kitaguchi and 74 for Lynn Manibog. On Wednesday, the Maui Police Department disclosed the names of six additional victims of the Lahaina wildfire that began on August 8. The official death toll from the blaze stands at 115. On Tuesday, MPD updated the age of victim Freeman Tam Lung. He was 80.
MPD stated Wednesday night that of the 115 confirmed dead, 27 have been identified and their families have been notified, while the relatives of the other 22 have not been located or told. On Wednesday morning, Governor Josh Green said on social media that 92 percent of the burn area had been combed through. On August 8, wildfires ravaged Lahaina and other parts of Upcountry Maui. The Olinda fire, which has burnt an estimated 1,081 acres as of Wednesday, was 85% contained, per Maui County.
An estimated 202 acres have been consumed by the Kula fire, which was 85% contained. The county has reported that firefighters on Maui have been using hand teams and a helicopter to put out sections of the Kula fire. “Most of the fires are in remote canyons. The county has noted that the fire’s “flare-ups and smoke reports have been well within the burn area and have not posed a threat to public safety or fire expansion.” The United States Environmental Protection Agency has started cleaning up fire-ravaged areas in the Upcountry.
According to a press statement from the County of Maui, the EPA will conduct surveys, remove, and dispose of hazardous trash such as paints, cleansers, solvents, oils, batteries, and pesticides. Workers will also empty fuel from pressurized cylinders and tanks and remove any things that can be positively identified as containing asbestos. However, the remaining empty containers will be clearly labeled for a second round of disposal. Officials have also stated that asbestos removal from buildings will be a two-part process.
The county highlighted that the EPA’s removal of domestic hazardous garbage would be limited to just that. Workers from the EPA will immediately stop and notify the Maui Police Department if they come to any human remains or fully operational guns. “Following a fire, these hazardous materials require special handling and disposal, especially if their containers are damaged,” the announcement stated. As a result of these measures, other authorities will be able to clean up the impacted areas by removing solid waste, trash, and ash.
The EPA will collect air samples to test for asbestos and heavy metals during the cleanup process. If there is still debris and ash on the property after the first phase of work is done, the EPA will apply a soil tackifier called Soiltac to it to keep it from blowing away. Soiltac is nontoxic and biodegradable and has been tinted pink for visibility, according to authorities. After search and rescue teams have finished their work and given the EPA permission to enter the disaster area, hazardous waste disposal in Lahaina will commence.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency gives the green light to EPA’s operations. On the same day as the wildfires, officials from Maui County issued a warning about scams involving the collecting of DNA samples. Officials on Maui say that some residents have received calls from people claiming to be with “DNA services.” These calls are fraudulent. Those who have received such calls should end the conversation immediately and contact the Maui Police Department at 808-244-6400. In addition, you should report to the police any situation in which you are asked to pay for the collection of DNA samples.
The center’s employees don’t cold call locals for DNA samples. In order to collect DNA samples to aid in the identification of remains, officials have set up the Family Assistance Center in the Monarchy Ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in Kaanapali. According to authorities, this is the only place on Maui where DNA sampling is currently being done. The Family Assistance Center is available daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency, 200 Nohea Kai Drive.
