Death toll in Lahaina wildfire rises to 106 as county begins to release identities of victims

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – The death toll from the Lahaina wildfire increased to 106 on Tuesday as Maui County began to release the identities of those who perished.

The two people identified on Tuesday evening were:

Robert Dyckman, 74, of Lahaina;
and Buddy Jantoc, 79, also of Lahaina.

In a news conference on Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Josh Green acknowledged the unimaginable scale of loss and offered his condolences again to a state in mourning.

In all, seven additional fatalities were announced on Tuesday.

“We are heartsick that we’ve had such loss,” Green said.

Meanwhile, President Biden on Tuesday said that Hawaii will get “whatever” it needs from the federal government as the state responds to the Lahaina wildfire and also pledged to make a visit to Maui once recovery operations in the burned-out community are complete.

“Whatever you need, you’re gonna get and that’ll get aid into the hands of people who desperately need it. Who have lost their loved ones, who have lost their homes,” Biden said on Tuesday.

Gov. Josh Green says the death toll from the Lahaina wildfire has increased by two — to 101 — as recovery operations in the decimated community continues.

“My wife Jill and I are going to travel to Hawaii as soon as we can. I don’t want to get in the way. I’ve been to too many disaster areas. I want to be sure we don’t disrupt the ongoing recovery efforts.”

Biden, speaking at an event in Wisconsin, called the recovery operation “painstaking.”

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Hawaii,” he added.

Biden, speaking at an event in Wisconsin, called the recovery operation “painstaking.”

One week after a wall of flames tore through Lahaina town, officials warn that remains are continuing to be found. The Maui wildfire is now the deadliest in the US in more than a century.

On Tuesday, officials said about one third of the hardest hit areas had been searched.

In an earlier in the day on HNN’s Sunrise, Green confirmed multiple children are among those who perished in the wildfire. “When the bodies are smaller, we know it’s a child,” Green said.

“Some of the sights are too much to share or to see from just a human perspective.

Also on Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris offered her support to the people of Lahaina and underscored the need for a speedy response to reduce additional suffering. “We are all praying for the people of Maui,” she said. “Far too many lives lost, lots homes, lost businesses, lost livelihoods.”

MPD Chief John Pelletier says starting on Tuesday, the county will begin the painful process of releasing the identities of those who have died. The identities of four people have been confirmed so far, though family members have reported their own deaths based on eyewitness sightings

While recovery operations continue, the state is also grappling with a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of people have been displaced, and the Green Administration is working to get them out of evacuation shelters and into hotels and vacation rentals.

As the search for missing loved ones continues, federal authorities believe that significant issues with communication may still be prohibiting some people from re-connecting with their families.

The Red Cross is assisting in reunification efforts and the county has established a resource center so people can report loved ones missing and provide DNA samples for possible identification.

A Red Cross spokesperson said the agency has received more than 2,500 calls from people looking for loved ones. About 800 of those cases have been resolved.

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