96 confirmed fatalities, 2,700 structures destroyed in Lahaina ‘fire-hurricane’

In the ashes of the nation’s deadliest wildfire in the last century, state, federal and local first responders are providing a more complete picture of the devastation in Lahaina. In an update Sunday night, the Maui Police Department reported 96 confirmed fatalities so far, and Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned that number will climb as rescue crews continue to search through the wreckage.

“I do expect the numbers to rise,” Green said in a public address Sunday. “We know that the teams are, in an ongoing fashion, discovering other tragedies.”

Having visited Lahaina a few times in the last week, he said 2,700 structures had been burned to the ground. An estimated $5.6 billion worth of property “has gone away.” Many remain missing.

Officials have cited high winds and exceptionally dry conditions as reasons for the devastation. Before the wind picked up, Green said there were several fires burning that were thought to be extinguished. At its peak, the fire traveled at an extraordinary speed of up to 81 miles per hour, covering “one mile every minute.”

“With those kind of winds and 1,000-degree temperatures, ultimately all the pictures that you will see will be easy to understand,” Green said in a video update posted to his Instagram. “Because that level of destruction in a ‘fire hurricane’—something new to us in this age of global warming—was the ultimate reason that so many people perished.”

Hawaii’s emergency siren system wasn’t activated. Wireless texts were issued, according to reports, but the island’s 80 alert sirens were silent. Residents had very limited time to react.

“The all-hazard siren system can be used for a variety of both natural and human-caused events; including tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats, hazardous material incidents, and more,” reads a statement about the system’s capabilities posted to the County of Maui Outdoor Warning Siren’s dedicated webpage, which is used for reporting the results of monthly tests. “The sirens output is 121 decibels and propagate with a manufacture radius of 3,400 feet. This range may vary due to environmental and surrounding physical conditions. The sirens are battery-powered and use a photovoltaic charging system.”

According to a map of the siren locations, there are at least four in the vicinity of Lahaina. Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesperson Adam Weintraub said in an interview with CNN the sirens weren’t activated by anyone at either the state or county level.

“It was largely a function of how fast the flames were moving,” Weintraub told CNN. “They were trying to coordinate response on the ground, and they had already issued these other alert systems.”

Firefighters, meanwhile, continue to battle—the Lahaina fire was 85% contained as of the latest update, covering 2,170 acres with no active threats, according to a statement from Green’s office. Federal agencies are also active across the island. Hundreds of FEMA personnel are at work on the island.

Other agencies include the Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service, the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Federal Aviation Authority, and the U.S. Coast Guard, among others. The American Red Cross has helped facilitate nearly 2,900 overnight shelter stays.

Hawaiian Electric is working to restore power to the Lahaina area, and has installed a mobile substation at the Lahainaluna substation.

“Because there has been a tremendous amount of damage to the system at the distribution and substation level—these are the parts of the system that deliver electricity to communities and neighborhood—the system is still fragile, and the restoration must be done carefully to, above all, ensure the safety of the public and our workers,” a statement from Hawaiin Electric says. “After the power comes back on, there may be intermittent outages. All Maui customers are asked to be mindful of their use of electricity and conserve by limiting non-essential uses.”