(ATLANTA) — A publicist who previously represented controversial musicians R. Kelly and Ye has been indicted alongside former President Donald Trump and several of his allies for their alleged actions following the 2020 election.
Trevian Kutti, who has been a supporter of the former president, is accused of helping to conspire “to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump” alongside 18 others, according to the indictment against the defendants out of Fulton County, Georgia.
Kutti first garnered attention from investigators who were probing a Reuters report alleging Kutti had pressed an election worker to admit to election fraud claims or face consequences. A spokesperson for Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, told Reuters in that report that Kutti was not associated with him at the times of her actions chronicled in the report.
Ye was also an acquaintance of Trump, with the two having met at least twice over the years including at the White House in 2018.
Like the other defendants in this case, Kutti is charged with violating Georgia RICO laws. She also faces charges of conspiracy to commit solicitation of false statements and writings, and charges of influencing witnesses.
The criminal complaint alleges that Kutti traveled from Chicago to Atlanta and attempted to contact Ruby Freeman, a Fulton County Election worker, in order to convince her to report election fraud claims in testimony.
She then went to Freeman’s house, but wasn’t able to speak to her. Kutti then allegedly spoke to Freeman’s neighbor, identifying herself as a crisis manager attempting to “help” Freeman, the criminal complaint says. She then placed a phone call to Freeman telling her that she was in danger, and that she could “help” her, asking to talk to Freeman at a police department precinct in Cobb County, according to the complaint.
Kutti and co-defendant Harrison William Prescott Floyd met with Freeman at the precinct for approximately one hour, prosecutors say. Kutti and Floyd allegedly tried to influence Freeman’s testimony during that meeting on what happened in State Farm Arena where Freeman was working on election night.
Kutti did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
In a statement to Chicago’s WBEZ about the charges, Kutti said she is “appalled at these accusations” and she is “simply being a crisis manager.”
(ATLANTA) — Former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows officially filed Tuesday to move the case brought against him by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into federal court, just a day after he was indicted along with former President Donald Trump and 17 others on charges of attempting to overturn Trump’s election loss in the state.
The filing from Meadows’ attorney George Terwilliger and Atlanta-based attorney Joseph Englert is based on a federal law that they argue requires the removal of criminal proceedings brought in state court to the federal court system when someone is charged for actions they allegedly took as a federal official acting “under color” of their office.
Trump is also expected to mount a similar effort, according to sources familiar with the matter.
“Nothing Mr. Meadows is alleged in the indictment to have done is criminal per se: arranging Oval Office meetings, contacting state officials on the President’s behalf, visiting a state government building, and setting up a phone call for the President,” Terwilliger wrote in the filing. “One would expect a Chief of Staff to the President of the United States to do these sorts of things.”
“This is precisely the kind of state interference in a federal official’s duties that the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution prohibits, and that the removal statute shields against,” Terwilliger wrote.
Terwilliger additionally says in the filing that while Meadows intends to file a motion to dismiss the indictment entirely, removing the case into federal court would “halt the state-court proceedings against Mr. Meadows.”
Meadows could not immediately be reached for comment.
District Judge Steve Jones, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, has been assigned to Meadows’ case, according to his court docket.
(LAHAINA, Hawaii) — As Maui residents begin a long mourning and recovery process following deadly fires that have ravaged their neighborhoods, local officials say outsiders are attempting to take advantage of the tragedy by attempting to purchase damaged home sites from locals who have lost everything.
Officials expressed concern that residents are being approached about selling residential sites “by people posing as real estate agents who may have ill intent.”
The U.S. Attorney for Hawaii Clare Connors issued an advisory today warning the public to be wary of possible charity scams in the wake of the Maui wildfires.
“As the devastation of our communities on Maui and Hawaii Island continues to unfold, local and national organizations have created ways for volunteers to assist as well as to provide donations of food, money and other resources,” Connors said in a statement.
“While such efforts provide critical aid, we know that during periods of tremendous need like this, criminals do not hesitate to take advantage of the challenging times to commit fraud and other crimes.”
She added that victims are frequently victimized by property theft of businesses and residences abandoned in the wake of such a disaster.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Monday he had reached out to the attorney general “to explore options to do a moratorium on any sales of properties that have been damaged or destroyed.”
“Moreover, I would caution people that it’s going to be a very long time, before any growth, or housing can be built,” Green said.
“You would be pretty poorly informed if you try to steal land from our people and then build here.”
Thousands of Maui residents have been displaced by the deadly wildfires, with roughly 86% of destroyed structures marked as residential, according to the Pacific Disaster Center.
This comes amid what is one of the worst housing crises in America, as the state has the highest housing costs in the nation, according to the University of Hawaii Economic Research Organization.
The research organization found that a household earning the state median income can no longer afford the state’s median-priced condominium, let alone a single-family home.
Similarly, after the 2017 Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, survivors were warned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about con artists who might target them.
In the years following the tragedy, the Wall Street Journal reported that “opportunistic investors snapped up distressed properties in Puerto Rico. Momentum in the housing market was building when COVID hit, and the luxury sector just exploded,” a concern that Hawaiian residents expressed may happen to their island as well.
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
(LAHAINA, Hawaii) — Climate change may have amplified the conditions that led to the deadly inferno on the Hawaiian island of Maui but it cannot be blamed entirely.
An unknown spark quickly set parts of the island ablaze on Aug. 8, sending flames fueled by a combination of strong trade winds and a landscape parched by drought conditions through the historic Lahaina district and people’s homes.
On Sunday, Hawaii Gov. Joshua Green likened the level of devastation that occurred as a consequence of climate change.
“That level of destruction, and a fire hurricane, something new to us in this age of global warming, was the ultimate reason that so many people perished,” Green said.
Not only do “fire hurricanes” not exist, but climate change can’t be blamed for the number of people who died in the wildfires.
Globally, climate change “nudged” the conditions that contribute to making wildfires more severe, but it is unclear how much of a role that played in the Maui fire event, Gavin Schmidt, director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told ABC News.
Moreover, wildfires have the “lowest confidence” among natural disasters that researchers attribute to climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We should not look to the Maui wildfires as a poster child of the link to climate change,” Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, said Friday in a YouTube stream.
Swain instead pointed to the wildfires ravaging to the north in Canada and the country’s unprecedented start to its wildfire season.
The weather and environmental factors involved with the Maui wildfire event are more complex, Swain said. Natural climate variability in Hawaii is very large and picking out the human-induced climate change signs is really difficult, Abby Frazier, a climatologist at Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts, told ABC News.
The main factor driving the fires involved the invasive grasses that cover huge parts of Hawaii, which are extremely flammable, Frazier said.
High pressure had created strong trade winds across the eastern Pacific Ocean when the fires sparked. Hurricane Dora, which passed 750 miles south of Hawaii, also strengthened the pressure gradient across the Pacific Ocean.
Peak wind speeds were measured up to 67 mph on Maui, but some video taken during the height of the event appears to suggest that gusts were even higher.
Although drought contributed to the severity of the fires, anthropogenic climate change is not to blame for Maui’s drought conditions either. Drought is not uncommon in Hawaii, which is currently in its dry season. Parts of Maui, including much of the island’s west coast, are currently under severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
In August 2022, Hawaii’s drought numbers were much higher, with parts of Maui even reaching exceptional drought, the top category of concern.
Most of Hawaii’s rain comes in the wet season between October and April. The most recent wet season across Maui was above average for nearly every reporting station on Maui, with Lahaina seeing 116% of normal rainfall between October 2022 to April 2023, according to data from the National Weather Service.
The origin of the fire has not yet been determined but it was likely a human-caused accident boosted by weather and environmental conditions, experts say.
A study published in the International Journal of Wildland Fire last year found that human-caused ignition was associated with a large portion of fires in California between 1919 and 2016.
The researchers also found that the fire spread more quickly because of drought and heat amplified by greenhouse gas emissions.
Lahaina has a similar fire danger as parts of central California, Swain said, and many tourists are not aware that the wildfire potential on the island is not rare.
The way that wildland and vegetation coincide in urban areas likely also played a role in how fast the wildfires spread, Swain said.
ABC News’ Stephanie Ebbs, Kenton Gewecke, Max Golembo, Daniel Manzo and Daniel Peck contributed to this report.
(JUNEAU, Alaska) — The glacier lake outburst that sent an unprecedented amount of water rushing towards Alaska’s capital, destroying homes, would not have happened without climate change, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
An outburst flood from a meltwater lake on the Mendenhall Glacier, located about 12 miles north of Juneau, Alaska, sent record amounts of water into Mendenhall Lake and down the Mendenhall River between Aug. 4 and Aug. 6, according to NOAA.
Significant flooding was reported in areas along the river that have not seen flooding from these types of events in the past, the National Weather Service office in Juneau said. Floodwaters swept trees and buildings into the river as significant erosion occurred.
Decades worth of erosion happened in one weekend, Rick Thoman, Alaska Climate Specialist at the Alaska Center for Climate Assessment and Policy told Climate.gov.
The Mendenhall Lake crested at 14.97 feet the night of Aug. 5, smashing the previous record of 11.99 feet set in July 2016 and exceeding the initial forecast of 12.3 feet by the Alaska-Pacific River Forecast Center.
At the height of the flooding event, a streamflow of about 25,000 cubic feet per second was recorded, National Weather Service Juneau hydrologist Aaron Jacobs told ABC News earlier this month.
Andrew Park, a Meteorologist at NWS Juneau, described the fast-moving flow to Climate.gov as “historic.” The previous maximum streamflow, set in 2015, was 16,300 cubic feet per second, according to USGS records.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency created flood maps for the Mendenhall Glacier, defining a 100-year flooding event as a discharge of 17,000 cubic feet per second, with less than a 1% chance of occurring in any given year, and a 500-year flooding event as a discharge of 26,000 cubic feet per second, or a .2% of occurring in any given year, Jacobs said.
“Without climate change, there is no reason to think that this would be happening on the Mendenhall Glacier, then in the lake, and downriver,” Thoman said.
The flooding occurred after a break from the Mendenhall Glacier’s Suicide Basin, which has changed drastically due to thinning, melting and glacial retreat, according to NOAA. Suicide Glacier was once a much larger frozen tributary, which flowed into and merged with the Mendenhall Glacier.
The flooding destroyed several structures along the Mendenhall River, according to the National Weather Service.
The buildings that fell into the river and those that are uninhabitable now were not right next to the river on Friday afternoon before the flooding started, Thoman said.
Mendenhall Valley, where the floodwaters went once the river and lake overflowed, is Juneau’s most heavily populated neighborhood, according to the Alaska Coastal Rainforest Center.
Scientists are concerned that a similar event, although considered extremely rare in the past, could happen again.
Alaska has warmed twice as fast as the rest of the United States over the last several decades, according to NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information. Alaska’s average annual temperature has risen 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit over the last century, and the overall trend continues to increase.
The retreat, melting and thinning of glaciers over the last century has been attributed by climate scientists to Earth’s warming climate. Alaska’s glaciers been experiencing a steep decline since the late 1980s, according to the Alaska Department of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
Before 2011, when the first lake outburst in the Mendenhall occurred, glacial lake outburst floods were a relatively new phenomenon. Suicide Basin has been releasing glacier lake outburst floods that cause inundation along Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River since 2011, according to the National Weather Service.
Those in charge of monitoring the Mendenhall Glacier and the lakes within it can tell when a flooding event is gearing up, Jacobs said.
The National Weather Service in Juneau has a “well-versed” monitoring program, which involves elevation marks on Suicide Basin and a camera pointed in its direction, to see how much the water levels are falling and rising.
Suicide Basin began to refill on Aug. 9 but remains at very low levels, making another lake outburst before the fall season unlikely, according to NOAA.
(NEW YORK) — Officials say the wildfires that erupted on the Hawaii island of Maui on Aug. 8 have become the deadliest natural disaster in state history.
The blazes spread rapidly due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful winds. Much of the historic town of Lahaina has been “destroyed,” officials said, and the inferno has burned thousands of residential and commercial buildings to the ground.
Dozens of people have been confirmed dead, with even more missing.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 15, 5:15 PM EDT
32% of area has been searched, 4th victim IDed: Officials
Maui officials released an update Tuesday about their search and recovery efforts and said 32% of the area has been searched.
A fourth deceased victim was identified, but no names will be released until after family members are notified, officials said.
Officials said they are continuing to collect DNA samples from families to help identify the deceased. As of Tuesday evening, 13 DNA profiles have been obtained from fatalities, and 41 DNA samples have been obtained from family members of missing people, officials said.
Aug 15, 4:26 PM EDT
Damage assessment only 25% done: Governor
Gov. Josh Green told Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV Tuesday that anxious residents need to give first responders and crews more time to assess the damage in “ground zero of the fire.”
Green said firefighters are 25% done with their assessment.
“I’m hoping and praying and working all these things, that by the end of the weekend, the firefighters and the police have said, ‘OK, we’ve done enough,'” he said.
The governor also noted that families will still need their space as officials work to identify the bodies recovered so far.
“Only three of the bodies that we recovered had enough fingerprint to share who they were,” he said.
Green said that some of the bodies are those of families, including three children of a family of four who were found inside a car.
The governor said he was appreciative so far of the support from President Joe Biden, who called him Tuesday morning, and the federal government.
-ABC News’ Jennifer Watts
Aug 15, 2:23 PM EDT
Biden addresses wildfires, pledges support ‘as long as it takes’
President Joe Biden addressed the current situation in Maui during an event in Milwaukee Tuesday afternoon and reiterated the federal government’s commitment to helping the millions of people affected.
“Every asset, every asset they need will be there for them. And we will be there in Maui as long as it takes,” he said.
Biden said the recovery and cleanup processes will be difficult because crews are still trying to determine the number of dead bodies.
“Imagine being a mom or dad wondering where your child is. Imagine being a husband or wife, a mother, a father. It’s really tough stuff,” he said.
Biden spoke with Gov. Josh Green earlier in the day and is planning on visiting the island along with the first lady.
“I don’t want to get in the way,” he said. “But I want to go, make sure we got everything they need. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.”
Aug 15, 12:54 PM EDT
US attorney warns of charity scams
As residents of Maui begin to recover from the wildfire, the U.S. attorney for Hawaii pressed people to be careful about scams.
U.S. Attorney Clare Connors flagged several potential scams that target displaced residents.
She warned of people who use the names of well-known charities to solicit donations for themselves, impersonate government officials or insurance provider representatives or solicit victims to invest in nonexistent businesses and ventures offering recovery services such as cleanup.
“Moreover, victims are frequently further victimized by property theft of businesses and residences abandoned during the disaster,” Connors said in a statement.
Connors said anyone who has been targeted by fraudsters or been the victim of disaster-related fraud are encouraged to contact the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-720-5721.
Aug 15, 7:28 AM EDT
60 people who were ‘missing’ found safe in a house
As wildfires continue to burn on Maui, officials said hundreds of people remain unaccounted for.
But 60 people who were deemed missing were found safe in a single house on Wednesday, ABC News has learned.
Officials are now using the term “unaccounted for” instead of “missing” because many people on the Hawaiian island have no power, internet or phones and can’t get in touch with relatives or authorities.
Aug 15, 6:50 AM EDT
Latest wind forecast for Hawaii
Wind speeds are expected to pick up over Hawaii from Tuesday through Thursday, as a high pressure to the north strengthens while a tropical storm passes to the south.
The latest weather forecast shows winds will be around 25 to 35 mph across the island state on Tuesday, with locally higher gusts possible.
Overall, these are dry trade winds, so the chances of rain are low.
This comes as firefighters struggle to contain deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Dry and windy conditions have helped fan the flames.
Aug 15, 5:27 AM EDT
Lahaina fire now 85% contained, officials say
The wildfire in the historic Maui town of Lahaina has burned a total of 2,170 acres since Aug. 8 and is 85% contained as of Wednesday night, according to a press release from Maui County.
“Multiple fire crews are assigned to monitor and address any flareups,” the county said of the Lahaina fire. “There are no active threats at this time.”
Meanwhile, the Upcountry/Kula wildfire, which was initially reported on Aug. 8, has burned a total of 678 acres and is now 65% contained. Air support was deployed during the daytime on Monday to hit hot spots, according to Maui County.
“Hot spots in gulches and other hard to reach places, along with land divisions and fences, make establishment of complete control lines difficult,” the county said of the Upcountry/Kula fire.
The Pulehu/Kihei wildfire, also initially reported on Aug. 8, was declared 100% contained on Saturday and remains so. However, 100% containment does not mean the blaze has been extinguished, but rather it means firefighters have the flames fully surrounded by a perimeter, according to Maui County.
“Fire personnel are staying vigilant for flare-ups,” the county said of the Pulehu/Kihei fire. “There are no active threats at this time.”
The Pu’ukoli’i/Kaanapali wildfire, which was initially reported on Aug. 11, was extinguished on Saturday and remains so. It burned a total of 1 acre, according to Maui County.
Aug 15, 1:00 AM EDT
Hawaii governor says more help is on the way
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference Monday night that 2,000 rooms have been secured for those displaced by the Maui fires. Also, help is coming in the form of hundreds of mental health care professionals from Hawaii and other states, with Hawaii waving its licensing requirements to make this happen.
Green also announced that 25% of the impacted areas have been searched. There are 20 cadaver dog teams who are continuing to search. They hope to have covered 85-90% of the search area by the weekend. On Tuesday, the governor said family members of those victims who have been identified will receive notifications. Fingerprinting has only allowed for three positive IDs so far.
Maui Police Chief Pelletier said at the news conference that one person had been arrested for trespassing in Lahaina. Pelletier said people need to show reverence for the area. Additionally, he pointed out the area contains toxic chemicals.
Gov. Green said he would try to block out-of-state people from buying any property damaged or destroyed during the state of emergency. He’s contacted the attorney general to place a moratorium on selling damaged or destroyed properties.
A representative from Hawaii Electric said at the news conference that an investigation is underway into what happened. When pressed about why power lines were not de-energized during powerful winds, the rep said that, unlike California, the state does not have a shut-off program, which is “controversial,” not universally accepted and creates a hardship for the vulnerable and people with medical needs. The rep also noted that electricity powers the pumps that provide water to fight the fire.
When asked about reports that there was insufficient water to fight the fires, Gov. Green said the comprehensive investigation is underway. He added there has been a great deal of water conflict on Maui for many years, with limited water for houses and people.
Aug 14, 9:32 PM EDT
US Coast Guard deploys teams to deal with environmental fallout of Maui wildfires
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced Monday it’s launched pollution response teams and equipment to deal with the environmental impact of the Maui wildfires, as it shifts focus from search and rescue operations.
“While the Coast Guard is always postured for search and rescue operations, we are also focused on minimizing maritime environmental impacts as a result of the Maui fires,” Cmdr. Kyra Dykeman, the deputy incident commander for the Coast Guard Maui fire response, said in a news release. “We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to the community we serve.”
The USCG placed a 100-foot boom “at the mouth of Lahaina Harbor to contain potential hazardous contaminants and materials,” USCG said.
Aug 14, 6:40 PM EDT
Death toll rises to 99: Governor
Gov. Josh Green said the death toll in the wildfires has risen to 99.
Green said during an interview with CNN that the number is expected to go up “very significantly,” as there are still hundreds of people unaccounted for.
“A lot of people had to run and left all they had behind. They don’t have their phones, [and] the phones are incinerated,” he said.
Green said that the first 80 victims were found on Front Street in cars and along the water.
Aug 14, 6:05 PM EDT
FEMA officials say they are holding out hope for survivors
Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency updated reporters Monday afternoon about their current efforts on the island and said the operations aren’t considered solely a recovery effort yet, despite the use of cadaver dogs.
“We know that there are people not yet accounted for, but we anticipate that there are people who have just moved to different locations either in Maui, different islands in Hawaii, or perhaps even the mainland with loved ones and family members,” Jeremy Greenberg, FEMA’s director for the Operations Division, said.
Tonya Hoover, the deputy U.S. fire administrator at the U.S. Fire Administration, told reporters that high winds complicated fire mitigation efforts. She added that many local firefighters lost their homes in the wildfires.
“As you might imagine, seeing the fires effect on their community and their own losses have taken an emotional toll on them as well,” Hoover said.
-ABC News’ Anne Flaherty
Aug 14, 3:03 PM EDT
FEMA chief says Maui resources so far are ‘right amount’
Deanne Criswell, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told reporters during a briefing at the White House Monday that she believes the government has enough resources and staff on the ground in Maui.
“At this point, I have no awareness of anything that we have not been able to meet, and we’ll continue to build up our presence here on the island to support this,” Criswell said when asked by ABC News’ Mary Bruce if there were any delays.
She also emphasized that FEMA is continuing to work on better understanding what’s needed and what might be needed “a week from now, two weeks from now.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean Pierre said there are currently over 300 FEMA employees, 50,000 meals, 75,000 liters of water, 5,000 cots and 10,000 blankets on the ground.
Criswell added the agency has “the right amount of personnel on the ground integrated with the local officials” to conduct search and recovery missions.
Criswell declined to give a timeline on how long that search would take.
-ABC News’ Cheyenne Haslett
Aug 10, 6:56 PM EDT
Perfect storm of weather conditions led to devastating wildfires
A perfect storm of weather conditions led to the massive inferno that has killed dozens of people in Maui and caused widespread destruction.
The fires, which sparked Tuesday night, were fueled by an unfortunate combination of a landscape parched by drought conditions and strong winds.
Aug 14, 5:58 AM EDT
Latest wind forecast for Hawaii
Winds are expected to increase in Hawaii this week as another high pressure builds to the north and a tropical cyclone passes to the south. However, they won’t be as strong as they were last week.
The latest weather forecast shows gusts will exceed 30 mph across the archipelago state from Tuesday through Thursday.
The wind speeds are forecast to ease by Friday.
This comes as firefighters struggle to contain deadly wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Aug 14, 4:26 AM EDT
Death toll rises to 96
At least 96 people have died from the wildfires on Maui, authorities said.
The Maui Police Department confirmed on Wednesday night that the number of fatalities has increased to 96, after three more bodies were recovered.
Officials on the Hawaiian island have repeatedly warned that the death toll will continue to rise as they work to contain the blazes and assess the damage.
-ABC News’ Amanda Morris
Aug 14, 2:27 AM EDT
Governor lifts disaster relief spending cap
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green issued an emergency proclamation late Sunday, lifting a cap on disaster relief spending and putting in place additional assistance measures.
The proclamation, which is the fifth he’s issued since the fires started, will suspend “additional laws to facilitate emergency response, recovery, and rebuilding,” Green’s office said in a statement.
A $10 million cap on spending from a Major Disaster Fund has been lifted, his office said. And nonessential travel to West Maui is discouraged.
Under the proclamation, pharmacists will be allowed to refill prescriptions with supplies for up to 30 days for those affected the fires, even without refill authorization.
-ABC News’ Marilyn Heck
Aug 14, 1:34 AM EDT
Biden briefed on Maui by FEMA administrator
President Joe Biden received two updates Sunday from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on the situation in Maui, according to the White House. The two spoke in the morning and evening, White House officials said.
-ABC News’ Fritz Farrow
Aug 13, 4:50 AM EDT
Death toll climbs to 93, officials say
The death toll from the fires in Maui has increased to at least 93 people, county officials said late Saturday.
-ABC News’ Victoria Arancio
Aug 13, 3:20 AM EDT
2 bodies identified with 3% of destroyed area searched
Two of the 89 bodies recovered from the burned-out area near Lahaina have been identified using DNA, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.
Search crews were using dogs on Saturday to look for remains in the wreckage, he said at an evening press conference in Kahului.
Only 3% of the destroyed area had so far been covered, he said. Twelve additional dogs were on the way to aid in the search.
He described the blaze as “a fire that melted metal,” saying it had been severe enough that each recovered body will have to be identified using DNA.
“Every one of these 89 are John and Jane Does,” he said.
He asked locals to get DNA tests at a nearby facility as a way to speed up the identification process.
“We need to identify your loved ones,” the chief said.
Aug 12, 10:55 PM EDT
Death toll rises to 89, public told to ‘brace’ for more: Governor
At least 89 people have died in the Maui fires, Gov. Josh Green said on Saturday during a live press conference.
“It’s going to continue to rise. We want to brace people for that,” Green continued.
With Maui’s wildfire death toll surpassing California’s 2018 Camp Fire, it’s now the deadliest U.S. wildfire in modern history.
Aug 12, 10:13 AM EDT
2,207 structures damaged or destroyed in Lahaina fire, with 2,170 acres burned: Officials
According to the Pacific Disaster Center, an estimated total of 2,719 structures were exposed to the Lahaina fire; 2,207 structures were damaged or destroyed; and 2,170 acres burned.
Of the buildings exposed to the fire, 86% were classified as residential.
-ABC News’ Flor Tolentino
Aug 12, 3:51 AM EDT
Death toll climbs to 80 in Maui wildfires
At least 80 people have died in Maui as wildfires continue to flare up, officials said in an update.
Firefighters were working to contain three blazes in Lahaina, Upcountry Maui and near Pulehu and Kihei, official said at about 9 p.m. local time. A fire reported near Kaanapali was 100% contained.
Restrictions on vehicle traffic were in place throughout West Maui, but the road leading out of Lahaina was open, county officials said.
“The burned historic Lahaina town area remains barricaded, with people warned to stay out of the area due to hazards including toxic particles from smoldering areas,” the update said said. “Wearing a mask and gloves is advised.”
About 1,400 people were at emergency evacuation shelters, county officials said.
Aug 12, 3:48 AM EDT
Fire near Kaanapali 80% controlled, evacuations stopped
A fire near Maui’s Kaanapali area is now 80% controlled and evacuations have been stopped, the Maui Police Department said in an update.
-ABC News Flor Tolentino
Aug 12, 2:44 AM EDT
Evacuation underway in Kaanapali
Residents and tourists in Kaanapali were being evacuated Friday evening as fires continued in West Maui, law enforcement officials said.
“As of this posting, there is a fire in West Maui, residents in the Kaanapali are currently being evacuated,” the Maui Police Department said in a statement posted to social media.
Kaanapali, another area popular with tourists, is on the coast a few miles north of Lahaina.
-ABC News’ Amanda Morris
Aug 11, 11:40 PM EDT
Many cultural landmarks cherished by the people of the island have been damaged
One region particularly ravaged by the wildfires is the historic town of Lahaina, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1962.
It was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 before Honolulu became the capital and before the kingdom was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed by the United States, according to the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
This includes the historic Waiola Church, the first Christian church on Maui established in 1823, which can be seen in photos engulfed in the blaze.
Buried here are several Hawaiian monarchs, including “Queen Keopuolani, the highest royalty by virtue of bloodlines in all Hawaii,” the last king of Kauai King Kaumuali’i, High Chief Ulumaheihei Hoapili and more.
A more than 60-foot-tall, 150-year-old Indian banyan tree that become a beloved landmark in the city of Lahaina was also damaged in the blaze, pictures show.
The historic tree covers one-quarter of a mile and shades nearly two-thirds of an acre of land.
Other historic homes, museums, and cultural centers were caught in the blaze. Learn more here.
-ABC News’ Kiara Alfonseca
Aug 11, 7:28 PM EDT
Death toll now 67, marking deadliest natural disaster since Hawaii’s statehood
The death toll due to the Maui fires has increased to 67, officials said.
Twelve additional fatalities have been confirmed as of 1 p.m. local time Friday, officials said, bringing the death toll to 67.
That officially makes this the largest death toll from a natural disaster since Hawaii’s statehood.
Previously, the deadliest natural disaster in the state occurred in 1960, when a tsunami killed 61 people.
The Lahaina fire is not yet contained, officials said.
Aug 11, 6:46 PM EDT
Maui fires declared a public health emergency
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency for Hawaii due to the wildfires.
The declaration “gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries,” the agency said.
“We will do all we can to assist Hawaii officials with responding to the health impacts of the wildfires,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as our partners across the federal government, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support.”
Aug 11, 6:45 PM EDT
Doctor in Maui describes treating patients injured by the fires
Dr. Art Chasen, trauma medical director at Maui Memorial Medical Center, described to ABC News what it’s been like treating patients who have been injured by the devastating wildfires.
He said Tuesday night was the first night he experienced a mass casualty event in the 12 years since he has worked at the hospital. Staff saw about 40 patients throughout the night, eight with life-threatening severe burns and the rest with minor burns, smoke inhalation injuries and other fire-related injuries.
Chasen described one patient, a fireman, who got seriously injured while trying to save people from a burning structure.
“He just kept going back until he ran out of oxygen,” Chasen said. “He ended up somehow taking off his mask and collapsing in the fire. His fellow firefighters went in and rescued him. He had severe burns on his legs at the scene.”
“He coded, his heart hard stopped and so he received CPR for three to five minutes…and they brought him back and he was in our ICU overnight.”
The fireman was transferred to Queen’s Medical Center in Oahu. In total, nine patients were transferred to Queen’s and Straub Medical Center, also in Oahu.
Maui Memorial has seen about 60 patients total as of Friday morning, and Chasen expects a second wave of injured patients now that roads are reopening, but insisted that the hospital is not overwhelmed or struggling to accommodate patients.
“We were not overwhelmed. We’ve never turned anybody away,” he said. “We have beds available. We have ICU space available. We’ve been seeing regular trauma patients throughout the time, like motorcycle accidents and things like that. So our hospital surged to meet the demand.”
-ABC News’ Mary Kekatos
Aug 11, 5:43 PM EDT
How the wildfires are affecting people’s physical and mental health
Impacts from the deadly Maui wildfires go beyond evacuations and damaged buildings. Experts say the fires are also affecting residents’ and tourists’ physical health and could have impacts on their mental health.
Wildfire smoke is a mixture of gases, pollutants and particles that people can inhale, penetrating the lungs and even entering the bloodstream.
Research has also shown wildfires and the subsequent smoke can lead to increased rates of anxiety and depression and become worse among people who already have these conditions.
Read more about the possible health impacts here.
-ABC News’ Mary Kekatos
Aug 11, 5:28 PM EDT
Jeff Bezos and fiancée pledge $100 million to Maui
Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, have pledged $100 million to Maui, Sanchez announced on Instagram.
“Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui,” Sanchez said in the post, which Bezos also shared on his Instagram account. “We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated.”
She said they are creating a Maui Fund and dedicating $100 million “to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming years as the continuing needs reveal themselves.”
Aug 11, 3:53 PM EDT
People will be allowed in homes Friday, officials say
West Maui residents will be allowed into their homes Friday, officials said.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen announced during a radio update that they will be reopening parts of West Maui with proof of residency, and for visitors with proof of hotel reservation. Access to Lahaina will begin at noon local time, officials said.
There will be a daily curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., he said. During those hours there will be no unauthorized public access to Lahaina to protect residences and property, officials said.
“They will see destruction like they’ve not ever seen in their lives,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said in an interview on local station KHON Friday.
“Do not go into any structure remotely effected by fires, we do not want to see any other casualties,” he added.
-ABC News’ Jennifer Watts and Alyssa Pone
Aug 11, 10:18 AM EDT
14,900 visitors left Maui on flights Thursday
As the wildfires continue to rage, 14,900 visitors left Maui on flights Thursday, according to Maui County.
Visitors wanting to leave Maui have been asked to book flights off the island. They can book flights to Honolulu, then continue on another flight to the Mainland.
Aug 11, 7:38 AM EDT
Lahaina looks like ‘a war zone,’ Maui County mayor says
Devastating wildfires on Maui have left its historic town of Lahaina looking like “a war zone,” according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.
He recently toured the damage with other local and state officials for the first time.
“The closest thing I can compare it to is perhaps a war zone or maybe a bomb went off,” Bissen told ABC News’ Eva Pilgrim in an interview Friday on Good Morning America.
“It was cars in the street, doors open, you know, melted to the ground,” he added. “Most structures no longer exist and for blocks and blocks of this.”
The mayor, who grew up on Maui, said he’s familiar with Lahaina. His mother worked at one of the local restaurants for 17 years.
“It doesn’t resemble anything that it looked like when I was growing up,” he said.
As the death toll from the wildfires continues to climb, authorities are bringing in cadaver dogs to search for more victims, according to the mayor.
“So we will be increasing our area that we can search,” Bissen said.
Nevertheless, the mayor remained hopeful that Maui “will rebuild.” President Joe Biden has signed an emergency declaration for the Hawaiian island, allowing access to federal assets and funds, which Bissen said they “intend” to use. There’s also been “an outpouring of so much donations and offers of help,” according to the mayor.
“There is so much support,” he said. “Right now, our focus is on fighting the fires, saving lives where we can or preventing further harm, of course property as well. We’ll get to the investigative stage when that’s appropriate.”
While Lahaina and the west side of Maui has been shut down amid the active wildfires, Bissen noted that the rest of the island remains open.
Aug 11, 3:54 AM EDT
Death toll climbs to 55 on Maui
At least 55 people have died as wildfires tear through the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials said.
Two more fatalities were confirmed on Thursday night amid the active Lahaina fire, bringing the death toll to 55, according to a press release from Maui County.
A total of 19 deaths were confirmed on Thursday and 36 were confirmed on Wednesday, according to Maui County.
Officials have repeatedly said that they expect the death toll to rise.
Aug 10, 10:51 PM EDT
Maui wildfires ‘likely the largest natural disaster in state’s history’: Governor
The wildfires that have devastated Maui are “likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii’s state history,” Gov. Josh Green said during a press briefing Thursday evening.
Green went on to call the wildfires “catastrophic” and said the state is seeking 2,000 hotel rooms to help the displaced people of Maui.
The governor said “we will continue” seeing loss of life. At least 53 people have died from the wildfires, officials said earlier in the day.
Green also called on residents to help, saying: “If you have additional space in your home, if you have the capacity to take someone in from West Maui, please do.”
After surveying the damage earlier in the day, Green estimated it will take billions of dollars and many years to rebuild Lahaina, and he estimates well over 1,000 buildings were destroyed.
Officials still don’t know exactly how many people are missing, according to Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier.
Aug 10, 9:38 PM EDT
A community struggling to cope
As a funeral director at the Nakamura Mortuary in Wailuku, Carol Chaney is no stranger to dealing with death — but usually, it’s other people’s losses. Now, loss has hit home in an unimaginably painful way. She says she’s still in shock and can’t reach family members in Lahaina.
“We’re still trying to gather ourselves. It’s still very fresh. There’s still a lot to be done,” she told ABC News over the phone.
Since the Maui wildfires, the calls she says she’s received aren’t to make funeral arrangements for those lost — it’s people calling to see if she has information on their missing loved ones. She doesn’t.
“We really have no answers for them which makes it even harder,” Chaney said. “It is getting a little overwhelming, but I know there’s more that’s coming.”
“I don’t know how to explain it, we want to do so much, but you can’t because you’re stuck. This has never happened,” she said.
Even as the death toll continues to rise, Chaney said she’s still coming to terms with what has happened.
“I’m kind of just trying to — I’m in shock. I just don’t want to believe that this happened,” she said. “And today it’s raining. Where was the rain yesterday? Where was it the day before?”
-ABC News’ Sasha Pezenik
Aug 10, 7:45 PM EDT
Coast Guard says it’s rescued 57 people in Maui
The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it has rescued 57 people amid its response to the Lahaina wildfires in Maui.
Seventeen people were saved from the water, while another 40 were found ashore by Coast Guard Station Maui boat crews, it said.
“The Coast Guard has no reports of missing persons in the water, however Coast Guard aircrews and surface assets continue search and rescue operations,” the agency said.
Aug 10, 7:30 PM EDT
Death toll increases to 53
The death toll from the Maui fires has increased to 53, officials said Thursday.
“As firefighting efforts continue, 17 additional fatalities have been confirmed today amid the active Lahaina fire” as of 1:10 p.m. local time, Maui County said. “This brings the death toll to 53 people.”
No other details were available.
Aug 10, 6:56 PM EDT
Perfect storm of weather conditions led to devastating wildfires
A perfect storm of weather conditions led to the massive inferno that has killed dozens of people in Maui and caused widespread destruction.
The fires, which sparked Tuesday night, were fueled by an unfortunate combination of a landscape parched by drought conditions and strong winds.
Aug 10, 6:46 PM EDT
Husband, wife reunite after losing Lahaina home in fire
While fleeing their burning home in Lahaina overnight Tuesday, Steven Scott got separated from his wife, Patricia, and had been unable to get ahold of her — until now.
After more than 30 hours without a phone, Scott told ABC News he was able to borrow someone’s phone with just 6% battery life left and his wife answered. She had made her way to Walmart and found a way to charge her phone.
Scott quickly told his wife to meet him at the McDonald’s before the phone ran out of battery, telling her he would wait “as long as it takes.” They were soon reunited at the restaurant.
That wasn’t the only reunion for the family on Thursday; Scott said he was also able to locate his son and daughter-in-law, who had fled the flames with only their pets and a few dollars. The whole family lost their homes and business in the fire.
Scott previously recounted to ABC News his harrowing escape. He said he tried to fight the fire with a hose before managing to flee.
“I was trapped,” the 70-year-old said. “We had to run to the harbor.”
-ABC News’ Bonnie McLean
Aug 10, 6:19 PM EDT
Lahaina residents wait to return to check on homes
At the road block to Lahaina, dozens of residents who have slept in their cars are parked along the street waiting for the opportunity to check on their homes and neighbors. Right now, officials are only allowing emergency response crews to pass the blockade.
Lahaina resident Al Crisostomo told ABC News through tears about his escape from the flames days ago.
“It was a huge black smoke and it’s indescribable, it’s like apocalyptic,” he said.
Crisostomo said he fears his home is gone, among the hundreds decimated.
Since the early morning, dozens of emergency resources have passed through the blockade. Multiple Hawaiian Electric trucks are en route to restore power, and several truck loads of food have also gone through.
-ABC News’ Melissa Adan
Aug 10, 5:38 PM EDT
Wildfire in Lahaina 80% contained, officials say
The wildfire that has caused significant damage in Lahaina is reported to be 80% contained, Maui County officials said.
Among the other two active fires in Maui, the Pulehu fire, in an area of Kīhei, is reported to be 70% contained, officials said.
There is no update at this time on the Upcountry fire, in the areas of Olinda and Upper Kula, officials said.
Amid the disaster, Lahaina remains without power.
Some 1,400 people stayed at Kahului Airport overnight Wednesday while waiting to evacuate, the county said.
Aug 10, 5:17 PM EDT
Some tourists just learning extent of the fires
Three buses with 168 tourists just arrived at the packed Kahului Airport in Maui. Passengers told ABC News that they have not had power or cell service for two days. Some said they had no idea how bad these fires were until half an hour ago when they first got cell phone service back and were able to see the extent of the devastation.
Some don’t have plane reservations, while others have tickets for the weekend. They said the resorts told them they had to leave and to get on the buses, so they did without much of a plan and little information.
-ABC News’ Will Carr and Timmy Truong
Aug 10, 4:55 PM EDT
Lahaina resident ‘scared’ to learn death toll
Lahaina resident Leif Wright held back tears as he told ABC News Live he is “scared” to learn the death toll of the fire.
“I don’t even know what the body count is going to be. I’m very scared to hear, but I’m really nervous. A lot of friends are missing,” Wright said.
Wright evacuated after trying to help save neighbors and pets in his neighborhood. He lost his home in the fire.
He urged anyone who wants to help to donate to food drives or help give clothing to residents who lost everything.
Leif Wright, a resident of Lahiana, joins @kyraphillips with an emotional account of the wildfires that burned down his home.
“The entire neighborhood was covered in smoke…a lot of people are still missing.” pic.twitter.com/TWWCenLVLu
In an interview with ABC News Live, Malika Dudley, meteorologist for ABC Honolulu affiliate KITV, said residents are “feeling so, so sorrowful” as more damage is being surveyed and the death toll continues to rise.
“So many people are missing,” Dudley said during the emotional interview. “We’re seeing a lot of things coming up on Instagram, my grandma, my grandpa, my son. I just saw one and a 12-year-old that’s missing. There’s no words. There’s no words.”
Dudley said that Maui residents will need “a lot of support to get out of this.”
“Those are people’s homes, people’s businesses, people’s livelihood,” Dudley said. “And this is on top of the you know, what is most poignant to us right now, which is just the loss of life and trying to reunite families right now.”
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
Aug 10, 3:43 PM EDT
Survivor jumped into water to escape flames: ‘It seemed like I might drown’
Shawn Dougherty is recovering from burn injuries at a shelter set up at the War Memorial Gym in Maui after jumping into water to escape from the flames.
Dougherty told ABC News the “first sign of peril” on Tuesday was when a tree in his backyard snapped from strong wind gusts. When a house in his Lahaina neighborhood started to fill with smoke, he and his girlfriend drove toward the harbor, where businesses were on fire.
He and his girlfriend ended up leaving their car and jumping in the water to escape the flames. Dougherty said he got cuts and bruises from getting knocked against the rocks and coral.
“At one point, it seemed like I might drown,” he said. “I’m a good swimmer, but the water was just really rough because of the wind and the turbulence.”
They had to temporarily swim away from the rock wall because of the intense heat from the fires, he said. A first responder eventually told them to get out of the water because “it’s not going to get any better,” so he and his girlfriend took the chance and climbed out.
“I couldn’t even make it across the street because the pavement was so hot. And now I have second degree burns on the bottom of my feet,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty said he had difficulties walking due to his burns and lost track of his girlfriend after getting out of the water. He ended up waiting in the water and on the rock wall until firefighters carried him to a truck and ultimately brought him to a hospital for treatment.
He’s been at the shelter since Wednesday morning and hasn’t been able to get ahold of his girlfriend since.
“I’ve got to find a way to procure a phone so I can start making contacts with people and find my beautiful girlfriend,” he said. “I’m so scared.”
-ABC News’ Izzy Alvarez
Aug 10, 1:12 PM EDT
Biden approves Hawaii emergency disaster declaration
President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration in Hawaii and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires.
The declaration unlocked grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property loses and other programs to help residents and business owners recover from the wildfires. It also unlocks federal funding for state and eligible local governments for debris removal and emergency protective measures in Maui and assistance for emergency protective measures for Hawaii County.
Biden also spoke with Hawaii Gov. Josh Green about the wildfires to express his condolences for the lives lost and the vast destruction of land and property.
“President Biden confirmed he signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Hawaii that will deliver additional federal resources and support on top of the actions already underway by FEMA, the National Guard, the U.S. Coast Guard, and other federal agencies to support the emergency response,” the White House said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Aug 10, 12:31 PM EDT
United cancels inbound flights to Kahului Airport, as airlines add extra flights from Maui
In the aftermath of the Hawaii wildfires, airlines flying to Maui have added extra flights to take people off the island. United Airlines canceled Thursday’s inbound flights to Kahului Airport so planes can fly empty and be used as passenger flights back to the mainland.
Other airlines told ABC News they are continuing their scheduled operations and have issued waivers or flexible travel policies.
The Federal Aviation Administration said it is monitoring the fires and winds, but operations remain normal. According to FlightAware, 14 flights at Kahului Airport have been canceled and 18 are delayed.
-ABC News’ Clara McMichael
Aug 10, 11:21 AM EDT
Chaos at Maui’s main airport as hundreds try to leave
Hundreds of people spent the night at the Kahului Airport on Maui, after local authorities asked everyone who does not need to be on the island to leave amid raging wildfires.
Many raced to the airport on Wednesday only to find out that their flights had been canceled or delayed. So, they slept there on the ground, on baggage carts and on X-ray machines — whatever they could find that was relatively comfortable.
Some people told ABC News that they are hoping to fly out on Thursday. Others said they were informed by airlines that they won’t be able to get on flights until the weekend.
One mother told ABC News that she has rented a car that she will sleep in with her two young children for the next two days. But that, she said with a tear in her eye, is nothing compared to losing your house or the life of a loved one.
Aug 10, 10:46 AM EDT
Hawaii governor to tour wildfire damage on Maui
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green is scheduled to arrive in Maui early Thursday.
Green is expected to hold a joint press conference with Maui Mayor Richard Bissen after touring the wildfire damage.
Aug 10, 8:01 AM EDT
3 wildfires remain active, uncontained on Maui
There are three active wildfires burning on Maui as of Thursday morning, according to Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin.
Martin told ABC News that those fires are still not contained, though improved weather conditions have helped the situation.
There was no update for the number of acres that the blazes have burned. The Kula fire was a little over 1,000 acres as of early Wednesday.
-ABC News’ Alyssa Pone
Aug 10, 6:41 AM EDT
Latest wind forecast for Hawaii
The National Weather Service has canceled all high wind and red flag warning alerts for Hawaii as wind speeds are expected to decrease slightly on Thursday.
But wind gusts are still forecast to get up to 25 to 35 miles per hour, which will not help the fight to contain raging wildfires on Maui.
Over the last few days, winds have gusted to as high as 82 mph in parts of Hawaii. In Maui County, wind speeds got up to 67 mph.
This is due to very strong trade winds and the increased pressure gradient between the high pressure to the north of Hawaii and Hurricane Dora to the south.
Dora never hit Hawaii, only coming as close as 700 miles to the south. So the winds are not due to Dora but rather the pressure gradient effect.
-ABC News’ Max Golembo
Aug 10, 4:35 AM EDT
Death toll rises to 36 on Maui
At least 36 people have died as wildfires tear through the Hawaiian island of Maui, according to officials.
During a press conference early Thursday, Maui Mayor Richard Bissen confirmed that the death toll is “growing.”
“We knew of six earlier. We are probably around 36 as of now,” Bissen said.
Maui County also confirmed in a statement late Wednesday that “36 total fatalities have been discovered today”
-ABC News’ Alyssa Pone
Aug 09, 11:15 PM EDT
More than 271 structures impacted
Authorities say more than 271 structures have been impacted, as fires continue to burn into early evening local time.
A federal team has arrived on the island to assist in search and rescue efforts in Lahaina, Maui County said Wednesday.
Close to 100 Maui firefighters have been on duty around the clock, including 11 from the state airport, the county said. The Maui Fire Department has reached out for additional support, requesting 20 more firefighters from Honolulu, Oahu and an incident management team.
Firefighters are addressing spot fires in Lahaina. Two Chinooks, along with four Windward Aviation helicopters, have been battling all three fires with water drops. Three additional helicopters from the U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy have conducted search and rescue along the West Maui coastline, the county said.
The Maui FD reported no significant changes for the Lahaina, Upcountry and Pūlehu fires as of the afternoon local time.
There are no new evacuations, however, motorists are prohibited from entering Lahaina while the fire is active, with police on hand to prevent entry into the area. Residents who are still in Lahaina have been advised they can evacuate via Kahakuloa.
Aug 09, 9:37 PM EDT
FEMA approves disaster relief as wildfires rage, thousands without power
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Hawaii’s request for a disaster declaration for help with a wildfire on Kohala Ranch on the Big Island of Hawaii, according to Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency.
Around 200 homes in and near Kohala Ranch have been impacted by the fires that began on Tuesday, the state’s emergency management agency said in a press release.
“The fire was also threatening a volunteer fire department, local electrical transmission lines and an AT&T cellular communications tower in the area,” Hawaii’s Emergency Management Agency said.
There are 12,400 customers without power, according to Hawaiian Electric. The company is working to get some power restored.
Aug 09, 7:30 PM EDT
Helicopter pilot on Maui devastation
When helicopter pilot Richard Olsten flew above Lahaina, Maui, on Wednesday, he said he was not prepared for what he saw.
“It was heartbreaking,” Olsten told ABC News Live. “There’s hundreds of homes burned down to the ground. The entire area of Front Street, the whole historic area, is gone, burned to the ground.”
“We were just speechless with one another as we viewed this horrible destruction of the town,” Olsten said.
Aug 09, 7:27 PM EDT
Latest from airlines
So far on Wednesday, there have been 17 cancellations and 46 delays at Kahului Airport (OGG) in Maui, according to FlightAware.
Delta Air Lines said it anticipates operating a full schedule out of Maui on Wednesday, adding two more flights to help accommodate customers from flights canceled the day before.
American Airlines said it canceled all flights to Kahului Airport on Wednesday but expects to operate the majority of flights out of the airport “to ensure customers evacuating OGG are able to do so.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said earlier it’s monitoring the wildfire and winds in Hawaii, but operations remain normal. A spokesperson said that, if necessary, the agency will take steps to manage the flow of traffic safely into areas that experience reduced visibility from wildfire smoke.
-ABC News’ Amanda Maile
Aug 09, 6:47 PM EDT
‘I was trapped’: Maui fire survivors speak out
A Maui resident recounted escaping from his burning home in an interview with ABC News’ Gio Benitez on Wednesday.
“We started smelling the smoke, and that’s when we knew we had trouble,” Steve Scott said. “It came, and it came quick.”
Scott said he tried to fight the fire with a hose before managing to flee.
“I was trapped,” he said. “We had to run to the harbor.”
Scott said the loss is “horrible,” especially along Front Street in downtown Lahaina, just as the tourist-driven area started to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I don’t know if we can recover from this,” he said.
Aug 09, 6:43 PM EDT
Biden on wildfire response
President Joe Biden and the first lady said they are sending condolences to the families of those who lost loved ones in the Maui wildfires.
In a statement Wednesday evening, Biden said he has ordered “all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response” and is urging “all residents to continue to follow evacuation orders, listen to the instructions of first responders and officials, and stay alert.”
-ABC News’ Justin Gomez
Aug 09, 4:43 PM EDT
‘Our beautiful island has been ravaged by fires’
Maui Chamber of Commerce President Pamela Tumpap detailed the level of devastation in a phone interview with ABC News Live.
“Our beautiful island has been ravaged by fires from the mountain to the ocean,” Tumpap said.
Tumpap said some areas look like they have been “completely leveled.”
“We’ve lost a lot of homes and we’ve lost a lot of business places and we’ve lost cultural and historic resources that were in the Chinatown that have burned to the ground,” Tumpap said. “We are seeing fires unlike what we’ve ever seen before.”
Tumpap cautioned travelers against coming to the island, saying it is “not going to be the Maui vacation that you planned” and visitors will have a hard time finding resources.
Aug 09, 4:20 PM EDT
At least 6 deaths reported in Maui, mayor says
There have been at least six deaths reported in Maui County amid devastating wildfires, officials said.
“We’re still in a search and rescue mode, and so I don’t know what will happen to that number,” Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said during a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
More than 2,100 people are in shelters in Maui County, he said.
Shelters are “overrun” amid the disaster, Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said while urging tourists not to travel there.
“This is not a safe place to be,” she said.
Aug 09, 4:01 PM EDT
Mother evacuates in middle of the night with 2 children
Maui resident Malika Dudley described to ABC News Live her experience evacuating from the raging wildfires in Hawaii with her two children in the middle of the night.
Currently in Haliimaile, which is on the slopes of Haleakalā, Dudley can still see the fire from the mountain growing and spreading.
“We were in the very first evacuation at 1 a.m.. I started to smell smoke in my home, and I woke my husband up and he said, ‘Oh, don’t worry about it.’ At 1:30, I thought, ‘No, something’s on fire in our house.'”
Eventually, Dudley, who is also a meteorologist for ABC affiliate KITV, got a call from their neighbor and the fire was right above their property.
“We got a call from our neighbor who said, ‘Get out of your house.’ And we looked out the window and there was a red glow outside of our window,” she said. “The fire was right above our property.”
Aug 09, 3:50 PM EDT
Hawaii governor: ‘Some loss of life is expected’
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green warned “some loss of life is expected” amid the wildfires.
“Heroic efforts by first responders have prevented many casualties from occurring, but some loss of life is expected,” Green said in a statement Wednesday. “Our entire emergency response team, including the Hawai‘i National Guard has mobilized and is being supported by FEMA.”
Green will be returning to the islands immediately due to the wildfire emergency, his office announced.
(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — The mother of a 6-year-old boy accused of shooting his first-grade teacher during class in Newport News, Virginia, in January has pleaded guilty to a felony charge in connection with the shooting.
Deja Taylor was indicted in April for felony child neglect and a misdemeanor charge of endangering a child by reckless storage of a firearm.
She pleaded guilty to the felony child neglect charge in court on Tuesday. The charge of endangering a child by reckless storage of a firearm was dropped.
Her sentencing has been scheduled for Oct. 27, according to WVEC.
Taylor’s attorney, James Ellenson, told reporters he believes no jail time would be appropriate given mitigating factors the defense plans to present at sentencing.
Taylor was initially set to face a bench trial in Newport News Circuit Court on Tuesday, though the appearance was changed last month to a plea hearing.
Her son is accused of shooting his teacher, Abby Zwerner, at Richneck Elementary School. Zwerner sustained a gunshot wound through her hand and into her chest on Jan. 6, when the student brought a gun into her classroom and intentionally shot and wounded her, police have said.
In an exclusive interview with ABC News in May, Taylor said she was willing to take responsibility for the incident, and that her son’s actions can be linked to his ADHD diagnosis.
“I am, as a parent, obviously willing to take responsibility for him because he can’t take responsibility” for himself, she said.
Taylor described her son as a “great kid,” but “very energetic” due to his condition. “He’s off the wall. Doesn’t sit still, ever,” she said.
Taylor is also facing federal charges stemming from the shooting. She pleaded guilty in June to using marijuana while in possession of a firearm, in this case, the 9 mm semi-automatic handgun police say was used in the shooting. Federal prosecutors claimed Taylor “knowingly made a false and fictitious written statement” when she legally purchased the gun and claimed she did not use marijuana. She is set to be sentenced on Oct. 18.
In January, Taylor told police she normally stores her firearm in her purse with a trigger lock in place, or in a lockbox. However, federal prosecutors said that a lockbox wasn’t found, nor was a key or trigger lock.
State prosecutors have said they wouldn’t charge the boy, citing concerns of his competency given his age.
Ellenson recently told ABC News that the child has had “extreme emotional issues for some time” but is “doing better every day thanks to therapy, his grandparents’ support and the amazing professionals working with him on his recovery.”
Ahead of Tuesday’s court appearance, Zwerner’s attorney, Diane Toscano, told ABC News, “As the criminal probe widens, our focus remains on justice for Abby and holding the school system accountable for failing to act on warnings the boy had a gun.”
Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit in April against the Newport News School District and Richneck Elementary officials claiming they ignored multiple warnings about the student’s behavior, as well as concerns that he may have a gun. Lawyers for the school board have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming her injuries are covered under the state’s worker’s compensation law for which she was approved to receive benefits, but which she turned down.
ABC News’ Mark Guarino contributed to this report.
(ATLANTA) — After a two-and-a-half-year probe, a Fulton County grand jury has indicted former President Donald Trump and 18 others on charges related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia.
It marks the fourth indictment of the former president, who already faces federal charges in the special counsel’s Jan. 6 and classified documents probes, as well as the Manhattan DA’s hush money case. Prior to Trump, no former or current president had ever been indicted.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Aug 15, 1:39 PM EDT
‘Perfect irony’: Giuliani faces RICO charge similar to one he popularized as prosecutor
As an upstart chief prosecutor in perhaps the most prestigious legal office in the country, Rudy Giuliani in the mid-1980s made use of a novel way to quell the scourge of New York organized crime — leveraging a brand new, little-known federal statute called Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations.
Using RICO, as it’s known, Giuliani managed to charge dozens of mobsters with seemingly unrelated crimes, all under the umbrella of one overarching scheme. At the time, it was a revolutionary use of federal law and it later served as a model for state and federal prosecutors around the country.
As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Giuliani’s successful prosecutions of New York’s storied crime families made him a media darling and launched Giuliani’s political career. But now, four decades later, Giuliani finds himself on the other side of his own legal legacy — facing Georgia state criminal RICO charges in the Fulton County district attorney’s case against his longtime boss, former President Donald Trump, and 18 of his allies.
“This is perfect, perfect irony,” said Anthony Cardinale, a veteran defense attorney who represented “Fat Tony” Salerno, the former head of the Genovese crime family, in 1986. “Giuliani is going to be sitting in a courtroom, pray to God … 40 years after he started bringing these exact types of cases.”
To read more about Giuliani’s winding road to prosecution, click here.
-ABC News’ Lucien Bruggeman
Aug 15, 1:11 PM EDT
Kemp: ‘The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen’
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, who Donald Trump allegedly pressured to overturn the 2020 election results in the state, is defending the state’s election process in response to the Fulton County indictment and Trump’s Truth Social post announcing a press conference on alleged voter fraud in Georgia.
“The 2020 election in Georgia was not stolen,” Kemp said in a statement. “For nearly three years now, anyone with evidence of fraud has failed to come forward — under oath — and prove anything in a court of law. Our elections in Georgia are secure, accessible, and fair and will continue to be as long as I am governor.”
He added, “The future of our country is at stake in 2024 and that must be our focus.”
-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa
Aug 15, 9:35 AM EDT
Trump to hold press conference Monday
Former President Donald Trump announced in a Truth Social post this morning that he will be holding a news conference Monday at 11 a.m. in Bedminster, New Jersey.
He wrote that at the news conference, he will present a “Large, Complex, Detailed but Irrefutable REPORT” on alleged election fraud that took place in Georgia.
Aug 15, 5:35 AM EDT
Indictment an ‘affront’ to democracy, Giuliani says
Rudy Giuliani, who served as a personal attorney for President Donald Trump, said the indictment handed up on Monday evening amounted to “an affront to American Democracy.”
The indictment would do “permanent, irrevocable harm to our justice system,” Giuliani, who was charged as an alleged co-conspirator of the former president, said in a statement.
He added, “It’s just the next chapter in a book of lies with the purpose of framing President Donald Trump and anyone willing to take on the ruling regime. They lied about Russian collusion, they lied about Joe Biden’s foreign bribery scheme, and they lied about Hunter Biden’s laptop hard drive proving 30 years of criminal activity. The real criminals here are the people who have brought this case forward both directly and indirectly.”
Aug 15, 12:38 AM EDT
Indictment centers on RICO charges
The 98-page indictment centers on racketeering charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
It charges 41 counts, 13 of which Trump faces, and alleges that Trump made 13 false statements in his effort to overturn the election results.
Aug 15, 12:28 AM EDT
Defendants include numerous attorneys associated with Trump
In addition to Trump, those charged include his one-time personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, attorney John Eastman, former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows, attorney Kenneth Chesebro, former DOJ official Jeffrey Clark, attorney Jenna Ellis and attorney Sidney Powell.
The remaining defendants are Ray Smith III, Robert Cheeley, Michael Roman, David Shafer, Shawn Still, Stephen Lee, Harrison Floyd, Trevian Kutti, Cathleen Latham, Scott Hall and Misty Hampton aka Emily Misty Hayes.
Aug 15, 12:13 AM EDT
Indictment alleges 161 acts as part of racketeering charges
The indictment alleges 161 acts as part of the efforts to overturn the state’s election results. They include press conferences and social media posts that themselves might not be crimes, but are being charged as part of the overarching enterprise.
Aug 14, 11:53 PM EDT
Co-defendants worked in ‘furtherance of the conspiracy,’ indictment says
The indictment describes how several of the co-defendants, including Kenneth Chesebro, Michael Roman and James Shafer, worked together from Dec. 11, 2020 through Dec. 25, 2020, in several states including Georgia and Arizona, to commit acts “in furtherance of the conspiracy.”
The alleged acts include Shafer reserving a room at the Georgia State Capitol in Fulton County, Georgia to gather “Trump presidential elector nominees,” and Chesebro sending emails to Roman regarding Trump presidential elector nominees in other states.
The indictment also describes how the co-conspirators allegedly communicated with the Trump campaign about the Trump electors.
According to the indictment, Rowan instructed an individual associated with the Trump campaign to “distribute information related to the December 14, 2020 meetings of Trump presidential elector nominees in Georgia, Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin to other individuals associated with the campaign and co-conspirator 4.”
On Dec. 13, 2020, Chesebro sent an email to Giuliani outlining the “multiple strategies for disrupting and delaying the joint session of congress on January 6, 2021,” the indictment says.
The alleged enterprise “falsely accused” Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman of committing election crimes, the indictment says.
Members of the alleged enterprise traveled out of state “to harass Freeman, intimidate her, and solicit her to falsely confess to election crimes that she did not commit,” it says.
Aug 14, 11:34 PM EDT
Indictment spells out alleged ‘false elector’ scheme
The alleged enterprise, including “several” of the defendants, created “false Electoral College documents” and recruited individuals to cast “false Electoral College votes” at the Georgia State Capitol on Dec. 14, 2020, and then transmitted those votes to the president of the U.S. Senate, the U.S. archivist, the Georgia secretary of state, and the chief federal judge in Atlanta, the indictment says.
“The false documents were intended to disrupt and delay the joint session of Congress on January 6, 2021, in order to unlawfully change the outcome of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of Donald Trump,” says the indictment.
Aug 14, 11:24 PM EDT
Indictment alleges 30 unindicted co-conspirators
In addition to the 19 defendants listed in the indictment, as many as 30 unindicted co-conspirators were involved in the criminal scheme, according to prosecutors.
“The Defendants, as well as others not named as defendants, unlawfully conspired and endeavored to conduct and participate in a criminal enterprise in Fulton County, Georgia, and elsewhere,” the indictment says.
The indictment says “several” of the defendants made false statements to Georgia officials, including the secretary of state and Speaker of the House of Representatives, and “corruptly solicited [them] … to violate their oaths to the Georgia Constitution and to the United States Constitution by unlawfully changing the outcomes of the November 3, 2020, presidential election in favor of Donald Trump.”
Aug 14, 11:19 PM EDT
Meadows, Giuliani among those charged
Among those indicted were some of Trump’s closet advisers, including his former chief of staff Mark Meadows and Trump’s one-time personal attorney Rudy Giuliani.
Aug 14, 11:12 PM EDT
Trump, others ‘joined a conspiracy’ to overturn results, says indictment
“Trump and the other Defendants charged in this Indictment refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump,” the indictment’s introduction says.
“That conspiracy contained a common plan and purpose to commit two or more acts of racketeering activity in Fulton County, Georgia, elsewhere in the State of Georgia, and in other states,” it says.
Aug 14, 11:04 PM EDT
Trump, 18 others charged in 2020 election probe
Former President Donald Trump and 18 others have been indicted by a Fulton County grand jury in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia, according to court documents.
Aug 14, 10:00 PM EDT
Indictment returned in Georgia election probe
A Fulton County grand jury has handed up an indictment related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in Georgia, according to multiple sources.
A spokesperson for Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to comment.
Aug 14, 6:00 PM EDT
Former lieutenant governor at courthouse to testify
Former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan is at the courthouse waiting to testify before the grand jury.
Duncan had said he was originally asked to testify Tuesday, indicating his testimony was moved up.
In a tweet, journalist George Chidi said he was sitting with Duncan at the courthouse.
“I’m sitting with Geoff Duncan, waiting to go,” Chidi, who was also asked to appear before the grand jury, wrote in the tweet.
Aug 14, 2:40 PM EDT
Multiple witnesses spotted, testifying before grand jury
Multiple witnesses have been spotted and testified before the Fulton County grand jury today, including two former state lawmakers.
Former Democratic state Sen. Jen Jordan testified today, she told local outlets as she left the courthouse, saying she testified for about 40 minutes.
Former Democratic state Rep. Bee Nguyen also testified, according to a statement.
“Today, I testified in front of the Fulton County Grand Jury,” the statement said. “When I took my oath of office in 2017, I swore my allegiance to our Constitution and promised to protect and defend our State and our country. On December 2020, when Rudy Giuliani and the former President’s legal team appeared before the Georgia House of Representatives, I upheld my oath and told the truth in the face of false testimony about our elections.”
“Today, I reaffirmed my allegiance to our State and country — by exercising my patriotic duty as a U.S. citizen and telling the truth under oath,” she continued. “As a former lawmaker, I respect the separation of power and the crucial role that our judicial system plays in protecting our democracy by holding everyone accountable, even powerful individuals.”
Georgia election official Gabriel Sterling, who spoke exclusively with ABC News’ Jon Karl over the weekend, was also spotted in the courthouse by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin, Will Steakin, Laura Romero and Richard Elliott
Aug 14, 2:12 PM EDT
Journalist’s testimony moved to today, he says
Journalist George Chidi, who previously said he was asked to come before the Fulton County grand jury to testify on Tuesday, now says his testimony has been moved up and he has been asked to come in Monday.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Chidi said there was a “change of plans.”
“They’re moving faster than they thought,” he wrote.
Chidi previously said he was present as a reporter in December 2020 at the Georgia state Capitol, where a slate of so-called “alternate electors” were allegedly meeting as part of a plan that prosecutors have said was intended to keep Joe Biden from amassing 270 electoral votes when the votes were certified on Jan. 6.
Aug 14, 11:40 AM EDT
Trump attacks DA Fani Willis on social media
Former President Donald Trump on Monday launched a string of familiar attacks against Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on Monday as Willis is expected to begin presenting her election interference case to a grand jury later today.
In three all-caps posts on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump attacked Willis over her investigation, blasted media leaks, specifically urged “someone” to tell the grand jury he did not interfere in the election while continuing to make false claims that the 2020 election was stolen.
-ABC News’ Will Steakin
Aug 14, 10:08 AM EDT
A timeline of the criminal probe into Trump’s efforts to overturn Georgia election results
On Jan. 2, 2021, former President Donald Trump asked Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to “find” the votes needed to win the state in the 2020 election.
The now-infamous phone call helped spark a criminal investigation launched the following month by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis looking into the efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso and Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:43 AM EDT
Key players in Georgia probe include officials, lawyers and 16 ‘fake electors’
Who are the key players in the criminal probe into former President Donald Trump’s alleged election interference?
Some are local officials, including Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who certified the state’s election results, and District Attorney Fani Willis, who is expected to bring the case before a grand jury as soon as Monday.
Others were working with Trump during or after the election, including his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani and John Eastman, both of whom appeared before a special grand jury.
And there were also 16 “fake electors” who allegedly participated in a scheme to overturn the state’s election results were notified that they were considered targets in the criminal investigation, prosecutors in court documents last year.
-ABC News’ Meredith Deliso
Aug 14, 6:39 AM EDT
Fulton County DA expected to begin presenting case Monday, sources say
The Fulton County district attorney who has been probing former President Donald Trump’s alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia is expected to begin presenting the case to a grand jury on Monday morning, sources familiar with the matter tell ABC News.
The presentation from the Fulton County District Attorney’s office comes after a two-and-a-half-year probe into the matter.
A spokesperson for the DA declined to comment.
This grand jury that will hear the case is a typical grand jury that has been seated for weeks and has heard other cases unrelated to the Trump probe.
It is not immediately clear how long the presentation will take.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
-ABC News’ Olivia Rubin
Aug 14, 7:05 AM EDT
Who is District Attorney Fani Willis?
Many eyes are watching Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis as her investigation into alleged efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia nears its end and a potential fourth indictment looms for Trump, who denies all wrongdoing.
A charging decision is imminent. Willis is expected to present her findings to a grand jury this week.
“I would hate to have Fani Willis after me,” Judge Jerry Baxter told ABC News. “She is a superb trial lawyer and the real deal.”
(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.) — The Arkansas Department of Education has removed the AP African American Studies course from its schools in what the state’s professional organization of educators called a “last-minute” decision.
The Arkansas Education Association told ABC News the move came “at 4:02 on Friday before schools start on the following Monday.”
“Having this course pulled out from under our students at this late juncture is just another racist move that has already played out in other states,” the organization said.
It continued, “It is our sincere hope that this last-minute decision will be seriously reconsidered in a timely manner so that the students of Arkansas will be able to take this course this year to be able to receive both high school credit and college credit pending successful completion.”
The AP African American course first became the center of controversy when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration rejected the course in January. The Florida Department of Education called it “inexplicably contrary to Florida law and significantly lacks educational value.”
The course was first piloted during the 2022-23 school year in just 60 schools and has been expanded to hundreds of additional schools for the next round of pilot courses in the 2023-24 school year.
“Throughout the first pilot year, we heard countless stories from the classroom about how this course opened minds, changed lives, and provided a much richer understanding of the country,” College Board told ABC News.
All schools can begin offering AP African American Studies in the 2024-25 school year.
The College Board told ABC News it consulted more than 300 African American Studies professors from more than 200 colleges across the country to build the coursework.
Arkansas Department of Education said the department “encourages the teaching of all American history and supports rigorous courses not based on opinions or indoctrination” in a statement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Education also said that concerns about whether the course would be applicable for college credit is uncertain, adding that some state policies that restrict certain lessons on race could infringe on a teacher’s ability to teach the course.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order in January that prohibits certain lessons on race, specifically targeting “Critical Race Theory.”
College Board told ABC News that more than 200 colleges and universities have signed on to provide college credit for the course, “including the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, the flagship institution of the University of Arkansas System.”
Six schools in the state were expected to participate in this second year of the pilot, including Central High School, which College Board noted is a “site vital to the country’s Civil Rights Movement, and its Little Rock 9 and their role in public school desegregation efforts are covered in the class.”
“On this first day of school, we share in their surprise, confusion and disappointment at this new guidance that the course won’t count toward graduation credits or weighted the same as other AP courses offered in the state,” College Board said in a statement.
(NEW YORK) — With dozens of people still unaccounted for, the conflagration that has caused widespread devastation across the Hawaiian island of Maui is now the fifth-deadliest wildland fire in U.S. history.
As of Monday night, Maui emergency officials said 99 people have been confirmed dead in the fire, and cautioned that the death toll will likely climb.
The blaze, which started on Aug. 8 on Hawaii’s second-largest island, has already surpassed death tolls tallied in California’s biggest wildfires in recent years, including the Camp Fire, which ripped across Butte County in November 2018, claiming the lives of 85 people and destroying the town of Paradise.
The cause of the Maui fire remains under investigation.
As in previous massive wildland blazes across the nation, the Maui fire was fueled by a combination of drought-parched landscapes and strong winds, officials said.
As firefighters continue to battle flare-ups, the Maui firestorm has been described by authorities as the deadliest natural disaster in the state’s history, surpassing the 61 deaths that occurred in a 1960 tsunami that was triggered by a 9.5 magnitude earthquake in southwest Chile.
While Hawaii’s history of natural disasters includes floods, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes and volcanic lava flows, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen told ABC News that he has never seen the type of devastation caused by the wildfire.
“The closest thing I can compare it to is perhaps a war zone or maybe a bomb went off,” Bissen said.
In addition to California’s Camp Fire, the Maui blaze has exceeded the 65 deaths caused by The Yacolt Burn on the Washington-Oregon border in 1902; the 44 deaths caused by the October Fire Siege that swept across Northern California’s Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino and Lake counties in 2017; and the 31 deaths caused by the August Complex Fire in coastal Northern California in 2020, according to data from Cal Fire and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).
The Maui fire has also surpassed the death toll from the so-called Great Fire of 1910, in which 87 people perished in a wildland blaze in Northern Idaho and Western Montana, according to the NFPA.
The deadliest known wildland fire in the United States, and in the world, remains the 1871 conflagration in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, which killed 1,547 people.
Also among the top five deadliest U.S. wildland fires are the October 1918 Cloquet, Minnesota, blaze that killed 559 people; a forest fire in Hinckley, Minnesota, in September 1894 that killed 418 people; and the Thumb Fire in the Thumb region of Michigan, in which 282 people perished in September 1894, according to the NFPA.
Other deadly wildfires worldwide include the 1997 Sumatra and Kalimantan fires in Indonesia that killed 240 people; the Black Dragon Fire in 1987 that killed 191 people in China’s Daxing’anling Prefecture; the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Australia, in which 180 people died; and the 2018 Attica wildfire in Neos Voutzas, Greece, which killed 100 people.
