Current:Home > MyMaui officials face questions over wildfires response as search for victims wraps up -AssetTrainer
Maui officials face questions over wildfires response as search for victims wraps up
View
Date:2025-04-14 17:19:11
As flames ripped through Maui's historic town of Lahaina on Aug. 8, in what would become the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century, desperation was everywhere.
Social media showed the fire and people running for their lives, and yet Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen would not say what he was doing as the flames spread.
"I'm not going to speak to social media," he told CBS News. "I wasn't on social media. We didn't have time for that."
And yet, Bissen wouldn't say what he was doing. It was the mayor's job to ask the state for emergency backup. But in a tense back-and-forth with CBS News national correspondent Jonathan Vigliotti, Bissen said he did not place a single call in the hours during and long after the fire.
"Mayor Bissen, you are the highest ranking official here on the island. If the buck stops with your office, how is that possible?" Vigliotti asked.
"I can't speak to what — or whose responsibility it was to communicate directly," Bissen responded. "I can't say who was responsible for communicating with General Hara."
Major General Kenneth Hara, the director of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said in a recent interview with Hawaii News Now that he was initially unaware of crucial details about the fire. "I thought everyone had gotten out safely," he said. "It wasn't until probably the next day I started hearing about fatalities."
"I thought everyone had gotten out safely," he said. "It wasn't until probably the next day I started hearing about fatalities."
But Hara also wouldn't clarify exactly where he was as the fire was gaining strength, telling CBS News he doesn't think he "could have done anything about [the deaths]."
"That fire was so rapid, and by the time everyone had situational awareness, it was too late," he said.
But there are renewed questions about if it was too late. Many victims ran into the ocean to escape the flames, and some weren't rescued until the morning.
In the days following the firestorm, thousands of people, including tourists and residents, were stranded without power, running water, food or access to medical aid.
The official death toll as of Wednesday stood at 115, but an unknown number of people were still missing on Maui. The number of unaccounted for reached as high as 1,100, according to an FBI assessment.
- In:
- Maui
- Wildfires
veryGood! (92)
Related
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- Climate Change Is Shifting Europe’s Flood Patterns, and These Regions Are Feeling the Consequences
- How Congress Is Cementing Trump’s Anti-Climate Orders into Law
- Netflix crew's whole boat exploded after back-to-back shark attacks in Hawaii: Like something out of 'Jaws'
- Have Dry, Sensitive Skin? You Need To Add These Gentle Skincare Products to Your Routine
- Weaponizing the American flag as a tool of hate
- Weaponizing the American flag as a tool of hate
- This Week in Clean Economy: China Is Leading the Race for Clean Energy Jobs
- Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
- Q&A: 50 Years Ago, a Young Mother’s Book Helped Start an Environmental Revolution
Ranking
- DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
- Idaho lawmakers pass a bill to prevent minors from leaving the state for abortion
- U.S. appeals court preserves partial access to abortion pill, but with tighter rules
- Air Pollution Particles Showing Up in Human Placentas, Next to the Fetus
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Lions hopeful C.J. Gardner-Johnson avoided serious knee injury during training camp
- 'Cancel culture is a thing.' Jason Aldean addresses 'Small Town' backlash at Friday night show
- MLB power rankings: Orioles in rare air, knocking Rays out of AL East lead for first time
Recommendation
Krispy Kreme offers a free dozen Grinch green doughnuts: When to get the deal
'Oppenheimer' sex scene with Cillian Murphy sparks backlash in India: 'Attack on Hinduism'
Microsoft blames Outlook and cloud outages on cyberattack
Tony Bennett had 'a song in his heart,' his friend and author Mitch Albom says
From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
An Arctic Offshore Drilling Plan Advances, but Impact Statement Cites Concerns
Fear of pregnancy: One teen's story in post-Roe America
'I am hearing anti-aircraft fire,' says a doctor in Sudan as he depicts medical crisis