Hawaii Governor Revises Maui Wildfire Death Toll from 115 to 97
Hawaii Governor Josh Green (D) stated on Friday that the death toll from the catastrophic Maui wildfires has been adjusted downward after further investigations by federal and local authorities.
Originally reported as 115, the death toll has been revised to 97, Green announced. “Thank God, fewer people passed away,” he said on a video posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Green also indicated that the death toll could potentially increase. At present, 31 cases are still under investigation, and only 74 of the deceased have been identified.
John Byrd, the director of a Defense Department lab, explained the process of counting the deceased. “We look at body bags that come in and we do an initial inventory and we assess how many people are represented there,” he said. “The numbers start a little too high on the morgue side and eventually settles until at some point it’s going to be a final accurate number,” Byrd added, noting that the final number has not yet been determined.
The wildfires, which occurred on August 8, decimated the historic town of Lahaina and have been characterized as the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has estimated the damage at around $5.5 billion.
In response to the tragedy, U.S. House Republicans have scheduled two separate hearings to examine the wildfires and their aftermath. One hearing will focus on the federal government's response to the disaster, while another will call upon executives from a utility company and two state agencies to testify.
