Reports now indicate the August 8 wildfires that ravaged the island of Maui in Hawaii are the deadliest in the United States in more than a century. More than 100 people are confirmed dead, but only a few have been positively identified. Because of the intensity of the flames, some of the victims' bodies were burned so severely they were difficult to identify.
Sadly, many now fear that children account for a large number of the fatalities. Schools in Lahaina were closed because of the fires, and many children were left home while their parents went to work. Families across the island continue to hope and pray they will be reunited with their loved ones, but the situation is becoming more grim as the days go by.
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The school was supposed to be in session the day the wildfires began. The Wall Street Journal reported that Lahaina schools were set to open August 8, but a power outage canceled classes. This left parents with few choices for child care. The area is mainly working class, and many did not have the option to skip work.
"Our parents work one, two, three jobs just to get by and they can't afford to take a day off," Jessica Sill, a kindergarten teacher at Lahaina's King Kamehameha III Elementary School, which was destroyed by flames, told the Wall Street Journal. "Without school, there was nowhere for [kids] to go that day."
Sill expressed concern for all of her students moving forward. "We are so worried for them and we will do whatever we need to support them through this catastrophe," she said.
Experts fear the death toll will continue to rise. Hawaii Governor Josh Green told CNN that officials are asking family members of the missing to provide DNA samples to help identify bodies.
"We're asking all of our loved friends and family in the area who have any concern to go get swabbed at the family support center so that we can match people genetically," the governor said.
Police have only searched one-third of Lahaina with cadaver-sniffing dogs, leaving a large part of the town untouched, the Wall Street Journal reported. "We are prepared for many tragic stories," Green told CBS News. Green said crews will continue their search in Lahaina homes.
CNN reported the majority of human remains were found on a seaside road. Green said crews now plan to search homes in Lahaina. "Now that we go into the houses, we're not sure what we'll see. We're hopeful and praying that it's not large, large numbers," he said, according to CNN.
This is being billed as a natural disaster and that is at least partially true. However, it is clear the scale of the damage and number of lives lost are most certainly the consequence of decisions made by people both before and during the disaster.