Maui wildfire miracle with 60 survivors; death toll hits 110

Thursday, August 17, 2023

A miraculous rescue operation has seen 60 survivors of the Maui wildfires saved from a single home that had been cut off since the fires first swept through the Hawaiian island.

It comes as the death toll from the disaster reached 110, with a painstaking search and rescue operation still underway.

The large group had sheltered in an isolated residence in western Maui that had been without electricity and mobile phone coverage since 8 August, Maui County mayor Richard Bisset said.

Some areas of Maui are beginning to reopen but officials estimate that 1,300 residents remain unaccounted for.

Hawaii governor Josh Green said yesterday that just 35 per cent of the burned-out area had been searched, and he expects the death toll to rise further in the coming days.

The official cause of the fires hasn’t been determined, but security footage of a tree falling on a power line in a Maui bird sanctuary is being investigated as a possible trigger for the fires.

Others point to the role of downed power lines elsewhere on the island and flammable grasses.

The fires have caused an estimated $3.2bn in property damage.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will travel to Maui on Monday 21 August, amid criticism of the White House’s response to the disaster.

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