Search and recovery team members check charred buildings and cars in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 18, 2023.Photo:YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty
YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty
Officials in Hawaii have identified the final victim from the 2023Maui wildfires.
On Friday, the Maui Police Departmentannouncedthe death of 70-year-old Lydia Coloma from the town of Lahaina, Maui. The department added that Coloma’s family has been notified of her death.
“We will continue to work closely with the families to ensure they are updated and supported throughout this process,” the department said in a statement on its website. “We extend our gratitude to the community for their support and understanding during this challenging time.”
The MPD noted that Coloma was the 100th fatality identified from the fire and that they had no more individuals left to identify.
Destroyed buildings and homes are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023.SEBASTIEN VUAGNAT/AFP via Getty Images
SEBASTIEN VUAGNAT/AFP via Getty Images
On Aug. 8, 2023, several large wildfires were reported on the west side of the island of Maui which went on to ravage the cities of Lahaina and Kula, burning down dozens of buildings and trapping many people.
A week after the fire, Maui County officials estimated that there were at least106 fatalities. Hundreds of Lahaina residents were also still missing, prompting Maui County officials torelease a list of 388 namesof people who lived or worked in the city thathad not been accounted forat the end of August.
FBI Honolulu Division Special Agent Steven Merrill confirmed in an Aug. 25press conferencethat they were able to strike more than a hundred names off the list after people or their relatives came forward saying they were safe.
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Maui County officialsfiled a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc., which provides electricity services to “95 percent of Hawaii’s 1.4 million residents,” along with Maui Electric Company, Limited, Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc.
source: people.com
