Death toll in Hawaii wildfire rises to 111 as hundreds remain unaccounted for

INA-  Sources 

The Lahaina wildfire death toll increased by five to 111 on Wednesday more than a week after flames ripped through the historic town.
Maui County continued to release the names of those who have perished. Three more victims were identified Wednesday afternoon: 71-year-old Melva Benjamin, 90-year-old Virginia Dofa and 79-year-old Alfredo Galinato. They were all from Lahaina.
The county released the identities of two other people killed in the blaze on Tuesday.
During a Wednesday news conference, authorities responded to mounting questions about the response to the wildfire. Gov. Josh Green bristled at suggestions that there is growing distrust and frustration to government’s response to the wildfire, saying those are rumors being spread on social media.

Maui’s Emergency Management officials pushed back against questions over why sirens weren’t sounded, saying that could have worsened the situation by prompting people to flee toward the flames. At the same time, Green said the state will conduct a thorough review of what happened to determine if protocols should be changed or if additional systems are needed.
Survivors say they had little chance to flee in part because of downed cellphone lines and power was out.
As the work of understanding what happened continues, so too does the difficult and grueling task of recovering remains. Some 30 teams armed with cadaver dogs are searching the dusty ruins of historic Lahaina town for bodies and have found entire families in burned-out cars and homes.

Authorities have repeatedly said it’s not clear how many people were killed in the fire.
But the number of people unaccounted for has remained at about 1,000 people, suggesting that the death toll will almost undoubtedly increase.
Already the wildfire is the deadliest in the United States in more than a century.
Officials on Wednesday said that 35 autopsies have been completed so far and seven people have been identified — five by fingerprints and two by DNA.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden and the first lady will travel to Maui early next week to meet with wildfire victims, first responders and officials.

source: WSAZ