The death toll from the destructive wildfires on Hawaii’s Maui Island has tragically risen to 99, according to authorities. Maui Police Chief John Pelletier confirmed the toll and noted that about a quarter of the affected area has been searched so far.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green expressed astonishment at the scale of destruction, revealing that more than 2,200 structures have been destroyed by the blaze, with the majority being residential buildings. The wildfire, which has consumed 2,170 acres, is now the deadliest in over a century of modern US history, surpassing the Camp Fire that occurred in California in 2018.
The cause of the fires remains undetermined, but a lawsuit has been filed against Hawaiian Electric, alleging a downed power line caused the deadly wildfire. The historic town of Lahaina, a tourist destination and former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii, has been almost entirely destroyed by the wildfires.