The Honolulu Star-Advertiser
(TNS)
WAILUKU—The names of two more people who died in the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire were released Wednesday by Maui police, leaving only one of the known 98 fatalities yet to be identified.
Lahaina residents Dale Ann Richter, 66, and Leslie Smith, 80, were the latest identified through DNA analysis and other means, and whose families were notified of their deaths. One other fatality has been identified but the next of kin had not been contacted as of Wednesday, the Maui Police Department said.
The dead range in age from 7 to 97, and all but two of the victims named so far were Lahaina residents.
In the immediate weeks after the disaster, as Federal Emergency Management Agency crews from the mainland conducted a methodical search for fire victims, the death toll climbed to 115 by Aug. 21. But on Sept. 15, MPD revised that number downward after forensic analysis determined that because of the condition of the remains—for many just ash and bone fragments were left—some from single victims were collected as separate individuals, and some were later determined to be nonhuman.
The officially verified list of people unaccounted for since the Aug. 8 fire has seen a dramatic drop from the 3, 200 initial reports to the 10 names released last week by MPD. It will grow even shorter when updated Friday, since two of the individuals on the most recent missing list, including Richter, were named this week as fatalities.
Also Wednesday, the state Department of Health reported that results from validated air sampling conducted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Lahaina and Kula in late August did not show evidence of poor air quality or any hazardous levels of contaminants in the air at the time the samples were collected.
The EPA tested for lead and other metals, arsenic, asbestos, particulate matter and 42 compounds called volatile organic compounds, according to a DOH news release. "No metals or asbestos samples exceeded reference levels, and particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) was detected at low levels consistent with what is expected for this region of Maui under regular conditions, " the news release said.
Three types of VOCs—benzene, naphthalene and carbon tetrachloride—were measured at levels above EPA's Regional Screening Levels. The release said VOCs are a class of chemicals released into the air after wildfires and are found in many household products that easily evaporate, and that short-term exceedances do not pose an immediate health risk.
"They are commonly present in urban areas at the levels that were detected in these samples. Because the VOCs can be caused by human activity and occur naturally, it's difficult to determine if their presence is due to the wildfire, " the release said.
State Health Director Dr. Kenneth Fink called the latest air quality results "reassuring."
"It's important to remember that air monitoring is indicative of the ambient air quality, and cleanup activities could cause hazardous dust and ash to become airborne, " he said in the release. Fink advised people entering burned areas to wear a well-fitting N95 or higher-rated mask and other personal protective equipment.
In the wake of the Aug. 8 wildfires, the EPA and DOH installed 17 continuous real-time air monitors in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui as well as five environmental beta attenuation mass monitors in Lahaina. Real-time air monitoring data is available on the AirNow Fire and Smoke Map at fire.airnow.gov.
DOH said additional air monitors will be added as recovery efforts continue.
In Washington, D.C., Hawaii's congressional delegation last week introduced a bicameral resolution honoring the heroic first responders and those who lost their lives in the devastating wildfires on Maui and expressing support for the affected communities.
The resolution was led by U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono in the Senate and U.S. Rep. Jill Tokuda in the House, and passed the Senate last week with the unanimous consent of all members, according to a news release from Hirono's office. Action on the House resolution is pending.
The resolution, supported by U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz and U.S. Rep. Ed Case, also acknowledges the volunteers who gave their time to ensure evacuees were "sheltered, clothed, fed, and emotionally comforted through the traumatic event, " while honoring "the bravery and heroism of the people who have provided assistance and continue to respond to the wildfires."
It also "urges the people and communities of Hawaii and the United States to act diligently in preventing and preparing for wildfires."
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