Last victim of Maui wildfires identified months after disaster
The final victim of the Hawaii wildfires has been identified as 70-year-old Lahaina resident Lydia Coloma.
Watch CBS News
The final victim of the Hawaii wildfires has been identified as 70-year-old Lahaina resident Lydia Coloma.
He did not immediately elaborate on why the death toll had been projected by Maui County officials at 115 for several weeks.
Dry conditions and strong wind fueled wildfires on the Big Island and Maui, where blazes spread in Lahaina as well as inland.
Within a day of the list's release, more than 100 of those on the list or their relatives came forward to say they're safe, the FBI said Friday.
Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were driven by a passing hurricane.
The house "looks like it was photoshopped," the homeowner said, amid the piles of ash that surround it on Lahaina's famous Front Street after the Aug. 8 wildfire swept through.
An FBI official said that the number of people "reported unaccounted for" is somewhere between 1,000 and 1,100.
The president and first lady saw the destruction close up and met with responders in Lahaina amid criticism of the White House response to the catastrophic blaze.
At least 115 people were confirmed dead, Maui County said Monday.
When asked Wednesday by reporters if he regretted not activating warning sirens when the wildfires broke out Aug. 8, Herman Andaya responded, "I do not."
Last week, their long-anticipated trip to Maui quickly turned frightening as they noticed a plume of smoke down on the beach.
The Maui Ku'ia Estate Chocolate farm was severely damaged.
At least 2,200 structures were estimated to have been damaged or destroyed in the wildfires, according to preliminary numbers.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Saturday that operations would focus on "the loss of life."
