Editor’s note: This file is based on the news of the Hawaii wildfires on Monday, Aug. 14. For the latest news and updates on the Maui fire, please see our live updates file for Tuesday, Aug. 15.
LAHAINA, Hawaii − The death toll from the Lahaina fire could double or even triple from the current total of 99, according to Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, adding to what is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.
In a recorded interview with “CBS Mornings” that aired Monday, Green indicated the number of fatalities is likely to increase considerably. Green later confirmed 99 deaths at a news conference Monday.
“We are prepared for many tragic stories,” Green told CBS. “They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess, really.”
His estimate of 10 to 20 bodies found daily over a 10-day stretch would put the death count at around 200 to 300.
In a video posted on social media late Sunday, Green said more than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina and an estimated value of $5.6 billion “has gone away.” The Lahaina fire was one of multiple blazes that began burning Tuesday on Maui.
Green said the “fire hurricane,” which he said was new in the age of global warming, was the “ultimate reason” the death toll has been so high.”
Starting Tuesday, authorities will begin releasing the names of those who died amid the blaze, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said at the news conference. Names of people will not be released until their families have been notified.
Maui rescue teams search ruins‘full of our loved ones’; Hawaii churches offer prayers for dead, missing: Updates
Developments:
◾Green said Federal Emergency Management Agency has 416 people working in Hawaii, including Administrator Deanne Criswell. The agency has provided dozens of searchers and 20 dogs to aid the search for human remains in Lahaina, the governor said.
◾The total of missing people in…
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