Jake Godin
99 dead from Maui wildfires; officials struggling to identify remains
Officials increased the death toll from Maui's recent wildfires to 99, but identifying human remains is a slow process.
LEARN MOREPosted: 6:52 p.m. EDT Aug 15, 2023
The search for victims of the historic Lahaina wildfire is still underway on Maui. And loved ones of the town's elderly and disabled population are fearing the worst.
Maui county's spokeswoman was unable to confirm to reporters as to whether the senior living complex — including the Maui Adult Day Care Center as well as the Hale Mahaolu Eono Apartments — were destroyed. Those buildings are near each other on the same block.
But using both satellite imagery and videos shared on social media, Scripps News could see the building complex was one of the many parts of Lahaina devastated by the fire.
The buildings making up the complex are visible before and after satellite imagery from Maxar. On-the-ground video shared on social media shows that the buildings were completely leveled. A senior living complex is also seen in a drone video, shared on Facebook.
It's unclear if people were able to evacuate the buildings before the fire ravaged the city block. Satellite imagery shows that there were only a few cars in the care center's parking lot.
Footage, from the day of the fire, shows the block engulfed in flames as the person filming evacuates with others. Families are fearing the worst.
