Total Missing After Maui Fires Remains Near 400 After Governor Indicated Number Might

The total number of missing people from the devastating Maui wildfires last month remains near 400 even as Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that he believed the number would drop below 100.

According to new numbers released on Friday by the FBI, there are still 385 people missing after fires tore through Maui and left at least 115 people dead. Last week, the number of missing people stood at 388. While 245 people were removed from last week’s list, another 242 people were added, keeping it at nearly the same number. 

The updates came a day after Green said he believed the number of missing was somewhere in the double digits.

“We think the number has dropped down into the double digits, so thank God,” Green said in a video posted to X. 

He responded to the new numbers by saying that exact numbers would take awhile to be complete. “Exact numbers are going to take time, perhaps a long time, to become finalized,” he told the Associated Press. 

The brunt of the fire damage destroyed Lahaina, where 60 mph winds rapidly spread the fire. The cause of the fire is still being investigated, but some have blamed downed power lines for starting the blaze. Hawaiian Electric has said that firefighters did not adequately put out an electrical fire that later reignited. 

Maui County alleged in a lawsuit that “intentional and malicious” mismanagement of power lines by Hawaiian Electric led to the deadly fires. 

The Maui Police Department indicated on Friday that they have been able to identify 55 of the 115 victims. Fifty of the victims’ families have been notified, while authorities are still working to notify families of the other five. 

Police have requested help in identifying both the missing and dead, asking the public to come forward with any relevant information. 

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“If you have a loved one that you know is missing and you are a family member, it’s imperative that you get a DNA sample,” Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said.

The Maui wildfires, which were some of the worst in American history, have led to a host of scrutiny on Hawaiian officials who have faced criticism for not broadcasting the emergency siren and for reportedly blockading a road out of Lahaina due to downed power lines. 

Witnesses who survived the blaze said that traffic quickly backed up as residents attempted to flee to the south, but the road was blocked as a crew worked on downed power lines. One family ignored the barricade and swerved past the cones placed in the road, making it safely to another town nearly an hour later.