Authorities in Hawaii say a fire that swept through a picturesque town in Maui this week has killed at least 89 people, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire of the past century.
Maui’s firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment.
Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said there are a maximum of 65 county firefighters working at any given time, who are responsible for three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
“It’s not that people didn’t try to do anything,” Curran said. “The fire went from zero to 100.” Curran said he had seen horrendous wildfires growing up in California.
But, he added, “I’ve never seen one eat an entire town in four hours.”
Maui’s firefighting efforts may have been hampered by limited staff and equipment.
Bobby Lee, president of the Hawaii Firefighters Association, said there are a maximum of 65 county firefighters working at any given time, who are responsible for three islands: Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
“It’s not that people didn’t try to do anything,” Curran said. “The fire went from zero to 100.” Curran said he had seen horrendous wildfires growing up in California.
But, he added, “I’ve never seen one eat an entire town in four hours.”