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Death toll from Hawaii wildfires will rise as search teams comb Lahaina wreckage, governor says

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Death toll from Hawaii wildfires will rise as search teams comb Lahaina wreckage, governor says


Days after a wildfire destroyed most of Lahaina, crews are going house to house in search of survivors or human remains. 

Robert Gauthier | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

The death toll from catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii is expected to rise significantly in the coming days as search teams make their way through the wreckage in the devastated town of Lahaina. 

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Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said search teams will likely find 10 to 20 bodies daily in an operation that is expected to last 10 days. Some 1,300 people are still missing, Green said. 

“There are more fatalities that will come,” Green told CBS in an interview that aired Monday. “The fire was so hot that what we find is the tragic finding that you would imagine. It’s hard to recognize anybody, but they’re able to determine if someone did perish.”

The wildfires have left at least 96 dead so far and caused $5.6 billion in damage in the worst natural disaster in state history and the deadliest blaze in the U.S. in more than a century.

Maui chief of police John Pelletier speaks about the Maui fire during a media conference in Kahului on Maui island, Hawaii, U.S., August 12, 2023. 

Mike Blake | Reuters

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Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said on Saturday that search dogs have only gone through 3% of the disaster area in the historic town of Lahaina so far.

Pelletier described the painstaking process of using rapid DNA tests to identify the delicate remains of those who perished in a blaze so hot that it melted metal. He called on families who have missing loved ones to take a DNA test so authorities can identify those who have died.

Pelletier said nobody knows the magnitude of the loss of life yet. The police chief said he understands the public wants information quickly, but authorities are focused on conducting the search correctly.

“There’s a word here called Pono, it means righteous — doing what’s right,” Pelletier said. “We’re going to do this, but we’re going to do it Pono because we’re going to do it the right way. We’re doing to do it with respect, we’re going to do it with Aloha, we’re going to do it with dignity.”

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Green said in a video statement on Sunday that 2,700 buildings were destroyed in Lahaina with an estimated value of $5.6 billion. He describe the blaze as a “fire hurricane” that moved a mile a minute with temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Green attributed the conditions that fanned the blaze to global warming. Hawaii was suffering from drought conditions in the run-up to the fire and was also hit with strong winds due in part to Hurricane Dora, which passed south of the islands.

Cars drive away from Lahaina after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town several days ago, Maui, Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2023.

Marco Garcia | Reuters

Green said the blaze on Maui began late in the evening on Tuesday, with several fires occurring at the same time. One fire was deemed extinguished but it must not have been completely out, the governor said. Sixty-mile-per-hour winds with gusts up to 81 miles per hour then spread the blaze rapidly.

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“That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming,” Green told MSNBC in an interview Sunday. “And so we have to all do right now what we can to stop global warming and reverse it.”

“I want to warn the entire planet about this, all of America and all of the world,” Green said.

The Lahaina fire is 85% contained, the Upcountry fire is 60% contained and the Pulehu/Kihei fire is 100% contained, according to Maui County officials. The blaze in Maui is the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. since the 1918 Cloquet Fire in Minnesota that killed hundreds of people.

The water in Lahaina and many parts of Upper Kula is not safe to drink, authorities said. Bottled water should be used for all drinking, brushing teeth, ice making and food preparation.

A burnt cart is seen at the Ho’Onanea condominium complex, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, U.S. August 10, 2023. 

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Staff | Reuters

Authorities in Hawaii have faced criticism for not moving quickly enough to alert people about the catastrophic blaze. The Hawaii Emergency Services Administration confirmed on Friday that warning sirens were not activated during the blaze. Three other alert systems were activated, a spokesperson said, including mobile devices, radio and television, and Maui County’s opt-in alert system.

Green said he has ordered a comprehensive review led by the state attorney general of the decisions made in response to the wildfires. The governor said there was massive destruction of telecommunications equipment during the disaster.

“We’ll know soon whether or not they did enough to get those sirens going,” Green told MSNBC. “But there was massive destruction of telecommunications. Otherwise, we ourselves would have communicated with each other like we always do within seconds on our cell phones,” he said.

Davilynn Severson and Hano Ganer look for belongings through the ashes of their family’s home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. 

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Patrick T. Fallon | AFP | Getty Images

President Joe Biden declare a major disaster in Hawaii last week on Thursday. There are currently more than 400 personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on the ground in Hawaii, Green said.

The governor said there are heavy metals and other toxins in the dust from the debris in Lahaina. He said the Environmental Protection Agency is helping to clear the toxic debris.

The Health and Human Services Department on Friday declared a public health emergency in Hawaii.



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Hawaii

Emalia Dalire named Miss Hawaii 2025 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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Emalia Dalire named Miss Hawaii 2025 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser


Emalia Dalire named Miss Hawaii 2025 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser

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JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARADVERTISER.COM

Miss Hawaii 2025 Emalia Dalire.

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Miss Hawaii Teen 2025 Anya Teruya, left, who won her competition Friday night, congratulated newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2025 Emalia Dalire on stage Saturday night at Hawaii Theatre.

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Miss Hawaii Teen 2025 Anya Teruya, left, who won her competition Friday night, congratulated newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2025 Emalia Dalire on stage Saturday night at Hawaii Theatre.

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Emalia Dalire named Miss Hawaii 2025 | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Miss Hawaii Teen 2025 Anya Teruya, left, who won her competition Friday night, congratulated newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2025 Emalia Dalire on stage Saturday night at Hawaii Theatre.
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The stage at Hawaii Theatre was crowded with pageant officials, prize sponsors, and many other well-wishers as newly crowned Miss Hawaii 2025 Emalia Dalire conducted her first news media interview Saturday night as a titleholder.

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Appreciative as she is for all the glamour that comes with the title, sash and tiara, Dalire says she’s looking forward to a year of community service.

“I don’t think I’ve had time to comprehend that it’s happening, everything is happening so fast, but most importantly, I’m just grateful, grateful for the (Miss Hawaii) organization and for having the opportunity to represent not only my class (of Miss Hawaii candidates) but my entire state of Hawaii,” she said. “For tomorrow (Sunday), I gotta wake up at 6 a.m. so I’m gonna take the time to actually sleep a little bit, but tomorrow I plan to just hit the ground running and continuing to help my community and this organization.”

Competing as Miss Kaneohe, Dalire beat 12 other hopefuls — officially known as “delegates”— to become the 80th woman to hold the title of Miss Hawaii. She is the sixth Miss Hawaii to win the title under the new rules that have contestants display their health and fitness wearing sports bras, leggings and athletic shoes instead of the traditional pageant swimsuit and heels.

Miss Moku O Keawe Tatia Denis-McRight was first runner-up; she will inherit the title if Dalire becomes the third Miss Hawaii to win the national title. Second runner-up Miss Hawaii Island Tyra Bates also won the evening gown award, and tied with Dalire as co-winners of the Candes Mejiide Gentry Talent Award.

Miss Oahu Darja Bassut was third runner-up. Fourth runner-up was Miss Diamond Head Sarah Look.

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The delegates were judged on their ability to stay on subject while answering a random question on stage, their performance in talent and in lifestyle and fitness competition and their design choices in evening gown competition.

They were also scored on their performance in private interviews with the judges, and previous rounds of talent and evening gown competition earlier in the week.

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Miss Hawaii Teen 2025 Anya Teruya, who received her title Friday night, was in the audience Saturday night to congratulate the new Miss Hawaii.

Miss Hawaii 2005 Malika Dudley and Miss Hawaii 2019-2020 Nicole Holbrook co-emceed the evening.




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HPD makes arrests in connection with Makaha shooting that killed one, wounded four

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HPD makes arrests in connection with Makaha shooting that killed one, wounded four


WAIANAE (HawaiiNewsNow) – Honolulu Police said three males have beenarrested in connection a shooting in Makaha that left a 19-year-old man dead and four others wounded Wednesday night.

HPD said in a social media post that three males, aged 17, 20 and 21, were arrested in the Waianae area Saturday. They face charges of second-degree murder, second-degree attempted murder and several firearms offenses.

The shooting happened at a home on Lahaina Street near Jade Street shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The 19-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. A 41-year-old woman, two 19-year-old men, and a 21-year-old man were seriously wounded.

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Police said charges are still pending against the suspects.



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Arrest made in Kona parking scam – West Hawaii Today

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Arrest made in Kona parking scam – West Hawaii Today


Police have arrested and charged 29-year-old Emmy Cedeno Perez of Kailua-Kona for a parking violation scam involving a “barnacle” device placed on the windshields of vehicles in West Hawaii.

Police launched the investigation after receiving two reports of a parking-enforcement device known as a barnacle being placed on the windshield of parked vehicles at the top of Napoopoo Road near the popular Kaawaloa Trailhead in Captain Cook, on public property in an area without “no parking” signs.

A barnacle is a device similar to a briefcase that suctions to a vehicle’s windshield and can’t be removed until payment is made via instructions on the device.

The device is then released by the driver via a code sent to the driver’s mobile phone. After payment, the driver is instructed to drop off the barnacle at a drop box for a partial refund of their payment.

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Through investigation, officers identified Perez as the party responsible for the barnacle.

He was arrested Tuesday and was subsequently charged with fraud, third-degree theft, second-degree criminal tampering, contempt of court, failure to appear and driving without a license.

Perez posted $11,600 bail and was released from police custody. He was ordered to appear in court on June 26.





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