Governor Josh Green had warned that the official death toll was bound to grow. The death toll surpassed 2018's Camp Fire in California, which virtually wiped the small town of Paradise off the map and killed 86 people. Hawaii congresswoman Jill Tokuda told CNN that officials had been taken by surprise by the tragedy. No emergency sirens were sounded, and many Lahaina residents have spoken of learning about the blaze because of neighbors running down the street. In its emergency management plan last year, the State of Hawaii described the risk wildfires posed to people as being "low".

Source: The Hindu August 13, 2023 20:53 UTC