Maui fires – latest: California woman named as first tourist among victims as residents start returning home
Authorities have confirmed 115 deaths following the deadliest wildfire in more than a century in the United States
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A California woman has been named as the first tourist to have died in the devastating Maui wildfires.
Officials identified 72-year-old Theresa Cook from Pollock Pines in northern California as among the victims of the deadly blaze in the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina.
Some 115 deaths have been confirmed following the deadliest wildfire in more than a century in the United States. The unconfirmed list of missing people currently stands at 1,100 names.
Hawaiian officials also pleaded with relatives of those missing to come forward and give DNA samples, saying the low number provided so far threatens to hinder efforts to identify any remains discovered in the ashes.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden met with first responders and survivors on Monday and promised that the federal government would be with them “for as long as it takes” to rebuild the community.
Survivors were also voicing fears of a potential wave of land grabs by realtors and investors that could push Hawaiian locals from the island.
Watch: Maui residents grapple with wildfire devastation
Maui residents are still reeling from wildfire devastation. Now investors and realtors are trying to cash in
Just days after fast-moving wildfires broke out in Maui, Hawaii, residents were heartbroken to see the remainder of their homes, businesses and lives turned to ash.
Thousands are without shelter and their possessions, as nearly 80 per cent of structures in the town of Lahaina have been damaged or completely destroyed.
Even worse are the scores of people forced to mourn the untimely loss of loved ones who were unable to escape the blazes before they engulfed neighbourhoods.
But the same people who are trying to grapple with the immense loss and figure out how to move forward, are reportedly being forced to defend what they have left of their land and grief as investors and realtors try to captalise on the disaster.
“I am so frustrated with inventors and realtors calling the families who lost their home offering to buy their land,” Lahaina resident Tiare Lawrence said in a video on Kāko’o Haleakalā. Read more
Days after wildfires ravaged Maui, investors and realtors try to take advantage
Days after wildfires ravaged Maui, investors and realtors tried to take advantage of residents striking fear that towns will lose its history and roots, Ariana Baio reports
Pictured: The aftermath of a devastating wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii
Maui’s wildfire victims: First IDs released after Hawaii disaster
Raging wildfires in Maui have left at least 106 people dead and thousands of others missing after they were forced to flee their homes.
“We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss,” Hawaii governor Josh Green said during a news conference on Tuesday.
Mr Green said he expects the death toll to rise every day as recovery teams and cadaver dogs search the burned area in Lahaina on Maui. Despite the number of deaths increasing, only a few of the 111 have been identified.
Part of this reason is due to the state that many bodies were found in after the blazing wildfires moved quickly through Lahania.
A mobile morgue unit arrived to help Hawaii officials identify the remains as teams continued to search for more in neighbourhoods that were reduced to ash.
Mr Green asked people who are missing loved ones to submit their DNA to help them identify the victims. Read more
Who are the Maui wildfire victims?
Maui wildfire that broke out in early August has become of the US’s deadliest disasters
Watch: Warnings over Maui relief donation scams
Biden tells Hawaii that the US ‘grieves with you’ as he surveys Maui wildfire devastation
Joe Biden told Hawaii that the rest of the United States “grieves with you” as he and the first lady surveyed the devastation of the Maui wildfires earlier this week.
Mr Biden, who has been criticised for his administration’s response to the historic blaze, met with first responders in Lahaina before making remarks next to the famed and still-standing banyan tree.
“The country grieves with you, stands with you and will help do everything to help you rebuild,” the president said.
Read more
Biden tells Hawaii that the US ‘grieves with you’ as he surveys Maui devastation
President praised the residents of Hawaii for showing ‘absolute incredible courage’ in the face of tragedy
How did the Hawaii wildfires start?
At least 115 people are dead and hundreds are still missing after deadly wildfires raged through the Hawaiian island of Maui.
The fires, the deadliest in the US in the last century, erupted on three of Hawaii’s islands forcing visitors to flee and residents to seek emergency shelter.
Photos and videos from Maui show the destruction the fires have caused, with some neighbourhoods including the historic town of Lahaina, nearly burned to ash.
Search and recovery efforts then began as firefighters worked to contain and put out the fires.
On 21 August, President Joe Biden travelled to the Hawaiian island to meet with first responders and survivors as the state begins efforts to rebuild in the wake of the disaster. But a frenzy of questions still remain about how the fires started in the first place and how disasters like this can be prevented in the future.
Here’s everything we know about how the Hawaii wildfires started.
Read more
How did the Hawaii wildfires start?
Dry conditions combined with high winds and droughts contributed to the unprecedented fires
GOP under fire for trying to make news out of Biden petting a dog in Hawaii
After a Republican National Committee social media account tried to make a big deal out of President Joe Biden petting a dog during his Hawaii visit, the White House bit back.
On Monday, RNC Research tweeted: “Biden gets distracted by a dog: “That’s some hot ground, man!” The tweet was posted alongside a video of the president petting a golden retriever while talking to a FEMA worker in Hawaii amid the fatal wildfires.
In response, White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates called out the Republican account in defence of Mr Biden, writing: “He’s petting one of the dogs that’s working hard searching for remains so survivors who’ve lost loved ones can have closure.”
Kelly Rissman reports.
GOP under fire for trying to make news out of Biden petting a dog in Hawaii
‘This criticism is classless and stupid,’ replied the White House Deputy Press Secretary
California woman identified as victim of Hawaii fires
A California woman has become the first tourist known to have died in the devastating Maui wildfires that have killed 115 people.
Maui County officials named 72-year-old Theresa Cook among the eight more people identified as victims this week.
Read more:
California woman becomes first tourist identified among 116 victims of Maui wildfire
Theresa Cook, 72, of El Dorado County, was among eight more people identified as victims
Watch: Maui locals flee into ocean to escape Hawaii wildfires
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