Maui fires now deadliest in modern U.S. history with 96 casualties

The wildfires in the Hawaiian island of Maui have become the deadliest in modern U.S. history as the death toll reaches 96 but is expected to rise. 

The latest Maui County update confirmed that there have been at least 96 people killed in the fire. The death toll of the fire surpassed the 85 casualties from the 2019 Camp Fire in Northern California, making the Maui wildfires the deadliest in the past century.

The large number of casualties also makes the Maui fires the fifth-deadliest wildland fire in the nation’s history. 

Authorities have warned that the death toll is expected to increase in the coming days.

Specialist search teams are currently going through the ruins and debris of destroyed homes, searching for survivors or the remains of the hundreds of people that are still missing, said Hawaii Governor Josh Green. Currently, rescue teams have only covered 3% of the affected area. 

“We are prepared for many tragic stories,” Green said on Monday.“They will find 10 to 20 people per day, probably, until they finish. And it’s probably going to take 10 days. It’s impossible to guess.”

Many of the casualties have not yet been identified due to the severe damage sustained by their bodies, said Maui Police Chief John Pelletier. Authorities are asking those who are missing relatives to submit DNA samples to try to identify the fire victims. 

"None of us really understand the size of this yet," said Pelletier. 

The fire, which began on Aug. 8 near the tourist city of Lahaina, spread at a rate of “one mile every minute,” fueled by dry summer and wind gusts of up to 81 mph (130 km/h) caused by passing Hurricane Dora. The speed at which the fire spread gave people little time to escape the blaze. 

As of Sunday night, about 85% of the blaze had been contained, according to officials. Efforts to extinguish the remaining fires are continuing on the island. 

More than 2,700 buildings in the historic city were destroyed, said Governor Green, adding that the fire could “certainly be the worst natural disaster Hawaii ever faced.”