Ignored the warning - over 100 people died

 

Hawaii
The fire chiefs ignored the meteorologist's warning - 102 people died

Amanda Hällsten

Published 13.14

Pictures of people who died in the fire. Photo: Lindsey Wasson/AP

A meteorologist warned of a disaster in Hawaii.

But the fire chiefs did not take the email seriously.

A few days later, over a hundred people had died in one of America's worst wildfires.

In August last year, extensive fires broke out on the island of Maui in  Hawaii.

The fires spread quickly and a  total of 102 people died.

That makes the natural disaster the deadliest in Hawaii since the island group became a US state.

The state's chief prosecutor, Anne Lopez, later announced that an investigation had been opened into the authorities' handling of the fire disaster.

"My department is committed to understanding the decisions made before and during the wildfires and to sharing the results of this review with the public," she said at the time.

Now the investigation shows that the authorities were warned before the disaster occurred - but that no measures were taken, AP reports.

The fire broke out on Maui last August. Photo: Zeke Kalua/AP

No sirens were heard

A meteorologist at the American equivalent of SMHI is said to have already raised the alarm on August 4 about the risk of forest fires, and warned that the disaster could break out four days later.

But the fire chiefs did nothing, according to the investigation.

Neither the emergency services nor the police authority should have taken any measures, such as deploying extra personnel, placing supplies in high-risk areas or planning for possible evacuations.

When the wildfires started on August 8, they moved quickly, while Hawaii's natural disaster warning systems did not work.

Among other things, no sirens are said to have been heard, and many realized the danger only when they saw the flames and heard explosions.

Many residents were trapped in their homes, or cars, with no way to escape the fires.

The devastation after the fire. Photo: Jae C. Hong/AP

The investigators: Should have been taken seriously

The investigation states that the fire chiefs should have taken the meteorologist's warning seriously.

"The sharp tone of the email, if it had been shared with fire chiefs in other states with more developed severe weather preparedness strategies, could have gained greater attention and led to discussions and operational actions," the investigators write in their report.

"It was a call to Hawaii's fire authorities to prepare for the approaching extreme weather," they write further.