It makes the disaster the deadliest wildfire the US has seen in the past century, surpassing the 85 who died in California's Camp Fire in 2018
Maui police chief John Pelletier became emotional when he told reporters the fire had melted metal, making remains extremely hard to identify."When you have 200 people running through the scene yesterday - and some of you - that's what you're stepping on.He also conceded the number of victims would inevitably rise again as"none of us really know the size of it yet".
Lahaina was worst hit by Tuesday's fires and now resembles a war zone, with more than 1,000 buildings burned to the ground. Survivors have spoken about how quick the blaze spread - the situation made worse by high winds and parched ground - and say emergency sirens failed to give any warning.Some people were forced to jump in the sea and wait for rescue as cars exploded around them and escape routes were blocked.Geoff Bogar described how he and his friend, Franklin Trejos, had tried to help others before being forced to flee in their own cars as the flames approached.
The town is a no-go zone for the time being, with many people whose properties have been destroyed taking refuge in shelters.More than 150 died in a tsunami in Hawaii in 1946, but this week's disaster could surpass that given authorities' grim prediction of more bodies. In terms of the worst US wildfires, hundreds were killed in Minnesota in 1918 when a fire tore through rural communities.
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