Many Say They’re Safe After Maui Releases 388 Names of Missing People From Wildfires

The names were part of a larger group of up to 1,100 reported missing

Fire damage in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 21, 2023. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Just a day after Maui County released 388 names of people unaccounted for in the deadly wildfire that broke out in early August, more than 100 of them or their relatives came forward to say they’re safe, the FBI said on Friday.

The FBI is reviewing the information they provided to see if they can confirm and remove the names from the 388 missing list.

“We’re very thankful for the people who have reached out by phone or email,” Steven Merrill, the FBI’s special agent in charge in Honolulu, said at a news conference. “As we get someone off of a list, this has enabled us to devote more resources to those who are still on the list.”

The Maui wildfires broke out on Aug. 8 and became the deadliest U.S. wildfire in the past century after it exceeded 85 deaths—the death toll of the Camp Fire in Paradise, California, in 2018. It’s yet to surpass the 453 lives killed due to the Cloquet fire in Minnesota and Wisconsin back in 1918.

The cause of the wildfires across parts of Maui continues to be under investigation. Lahaina, a historic oceanside town in western Maui that was home to more than 12,000 people, was worst hit, reduced to a barren wasteland.

The official death toll from the Maui wildfires currently stands at 115.

Maui authorities have publicly identified 46 people who died due to the fire, with the recent list released on Aug. 24 revealing a family of four found in a scorched car near their house. The identified individuals were: Tony Takafua, 7; his mother Salote Tone, 39; and his grandparents Faaoso Tone, 70, and Maluifonua Tone, 73.

Tony is the wildfire’s first verified child casualty.

Up to 1,100 Reported Missing

The 388 missing list, compiled by the FBI, includes only people with verified full names, as well as verified contact information for someone who reported them missing.

The 388 names represented a portion of a broader list of up to 1,100 people reported missing that the FBI said earlier this week it was working to validate. Mr. Merrill noted that there were children on the list but he couldn’t provide a number.

In releasing the names late on Thursday, authorities urged anyone who knows that someone on the list is safe, or has additional information that might help locate them, to contact the FBI.

An additional 1,732 people initially reported missing had been found safe as of Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Crews continue to search for remains in the area that was burned, and the search will take weeks to complete, Army Col. David Fielder, deputy commander of the joint task force responding to the wildfires, said in a news conference Friday. He added that many of the last structures are presenting complicated challenges.

Crews have also been searching in a stretch of water spanning 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) to see if anyone had died after climbing over a seawall to seek safety from the wildfires.

Interim Emergency Management Director Appointed

Officials announced on Friday that Darryl Oliveira will serve as the interim administrator for the county’s emergency management agency.

The role had been vacant since Herman Andaya, who had been the Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator since 2017, resigned on Aug. 17 for “health reasons.” The resignation came amid public backlash for his decision to not sound disaster sirens during the fires.

Mr. Oliveira is the former administrator of the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency and also a former chief of the Hawaii Fire Department. He is known for his management expertise in disasters including hurricanes and lava flows.

He has expressed his desire to establish “trust and confidence” while rebuilding Maui’s emergency protocols.

Hawaii Seeks Tourists in Maui Amid Job Losses

During President Joe Biden’s visit to Maui on Aug. 21, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a Democrat, asked tourists to come to Maui to help support recovery efforts and the local economy.

“No one can travel to West Maui right now. We will share when that is possible again. Only returning residents and authorized emergency relief workers should come here now. But all of the other areas of Maui … and the rest of Hawaii are safe,” Mr. Green said. “When you come, you will support our local economy and help speed the recovery of the people that are suffering right now.”

The Hawaii Tourism Authority said in an update on Aug. 21: “We encourage travelers to continue visiting other areas of Maui (including Kahului, Wailuku, Kīhei, Wailea, Mākena, Pāʻia and Hāna), as well as the other Hawaiian Islands of Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island.”

West Maui will remain off limits to outside visitors until at least Oct. 17, under a sixth emergency proclamation (pdf) Mr. Green issued regarding the wildfires.

Initial weekly unemployment claims for Maui averaged just over 100 before the wildfires, but more than 8,100 people filed for unemployment between Aug. 8 and Aug. 20, reported KHON2.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.