HONOLULU — The wind blew the flames from house to house as a group of neighbors tried to escape their burning neighborhood, abandoning their cars on a blocked road and running for safety to an industrial outbuilding. All six died just a few blocks from their homes.
The group, which included an 11-year-old and his parents, were among victims desperately trying to escape the Forest fire in Lahaina were first detailed in a report released fridayThe investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute for the Hawaii Attorney General’s Office delved into the conditions that fueled the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century and the efforts to stop its spread and evacuate the city’s residents.
‘No evidence’ was found from Hawaiian officials preparing for the wildfire despite days of warnings that severe fire conditions were approaching and that lack of planning hampered the evacuation of Lahaina ahead of the fire.
At least 102 people died in the August 8, 2023 wildfire, which was fueled by bone-dry conditions and high winds from a hurricane that swept across southern Maui.
According to the report, Joseph Lara, 86, was found outside his purple 2003 Ford Ranger pickup truck in the parking lot of an outlet mall and “may have attempted to drive north on Front Street before becoming stuck in traffic.”
His daughter told The Associated Press on Friday that she tries not to think about whether he would still be alive if he had taken a different route to escape.
“He was alone. He had no one to tell him to go here, here, here,” Misty Lara said. “I can’t fathom what his last thoughts were.”
The report is a reminder of the trauma experienced by the approximately 17,000 people who survived by driving through fire and blinding smoke, running on foot or bicycle ahead of the flames or hiding behind a dike in the ocean for hours as propane tanks and car batteries exploded around them.
“I grew up in Lahaina and like many in that community, I lost my family on August 8th,” said Deputy Attorney General Ciara Kahahane. “Through my involvement in this investigation, I have tried to humbly be a voice for you, the people of Lahaina.”
More than 60 percent of the victims attempted to flee, with many found in or outside their vehicles or huddled against the seawall. Nearly 80 percent of the fatalities were in the central part of Lahaina, where the fire flared and spread rapidly in the afternoon, leaving little time to evacuate.
Many were stuck in traffic jams due to fallen electricity poles, accidents, out-of-function traffic lights and poor visibility. Some back roads that could have offered an alternative escape were blocked by locked gates.
For those who were evacuated, the distance between their home and the location where they were found was an average of 800 feet (244 meters), the report said.
One couple was found in their car after turning into a dead-end street in the chaos, with flames behind them closing in. A man found huddled in the entryway of a home had abandoned his car, presumably to seek shelter from the heat and smoke. Others sought refuge alone in fast-food restaurants or furniture stores.
Lahaina’s already deteriorating infrastructure complicated evacuation efforts, the report found. Extended family homes meant that households had multiple vehicles parked on busy, narrow streets, creating bottlenecks during evacuations and blocking fire hydrants.
One street, Kuhua Street, suffered the most casualties, with more than two dozen victims found on or near the narrow stretch of road that was the only safe path for many people in the densely populated neighborhood.
It was the same street where the report said a fire truck went up in flames and nearly killed a group of firefighters. And it was the same street where a car crash trapped 10 people, whose bodies were found in or around cars.
Joseph Schilling, 67, was found next to a fence on Kuhua Street, less than a half-mile from the retirement community where he lived. Emergency crews had already tried to help several people who called 911 to report the road was impassable.
Six other residents of the independent housing complex who did not evacuate died in their apartments. Their average age was 86.
Some elderly people tried to evacuate even though they had no reliable transportation.
Claudette Heermance, 68, called 911 to ask what to do, and dispatchers told her to evacuate. She left her senior living complex on a motorized scooter, but it lost power as the flames spread, according to an autopsy report released after her death.
She was badly burned and spent seven months in a hospice until she died in March.
She was the 102nd — and ultimately — the victim must be identified.
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Lauer reported from Philadelphia.
