Photographer says tree roots were burning under the ground as firefighters battled flames in Maui
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
A professional photographer who accompanied firefighters still battling the blazes in Maui said they have been "working around the clock" to keep the fires at bay.
"These guys have been working around the clock since Tuesday, you know, fighting these fires. A lot of them haven't slept," Daniel Sullivan told CNN.
Helicopters were dropping "hundreds of gallons of water, just trying to stay on top of it," he said.
"The winds are the real enemy up there, and luckily we had a couple calm days, which was good. So that kind of helped them to get on top of the fires. But these are big forest fires. This isn't something we're used to. And when these trees are so hot, what happens is, roots burn underneath," Sullivan said.
"Under the ground, those roots are burning, and then it can just jump up anywhere. And you have these fires that would start, and you would think there's no fire there, but when you take the temperature of the soil, it's 180, 200 degrees in the soil because those roots are burning," he said.
Firefighters continue to battle three separate fires. The Lahaina fire that has claimed the lives of at least 80 people is 85% contained, the County of Maui said on Friday. Additionally, the Pulehu fire, southeast of Lahaina near Kihei, is 80% contained, the county said in a Facebook post around 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) Friday. And the fire in Upcountry Maui, the hilly center of the island where firefighters have struggled to access flames in ravines, is now 50% contained.
Sullivan said he grew up in New Orleans and compared what he is seeing in Maui to what the Louisiana city looked like after Hurricane Katrina hit. "lt's like Katrina, you know, it's wiped out. There's nothing left," he added.
1 min ago
Lahaina blaze is now the deadliest US wildfire in over 100 years, officials say
From CNN's Michelle Watson
The fire that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina in West Maui is now the deadliest US blaze in over 100 years, according to US Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell.
"This now has superseded (California’s) Camp Fire from 2018," Merrell said during a news conference Saturday.
The Camp Fire that ravaged Butte County in Northern California in November 2018 killed 85 people, burning a total of 153,336 acres and destroying more than 18,000 structures.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Saturday described the fires as the "largest natural disaster Hawaii has ever experienced" — with around 2,200 structures destroyed and losses "approaching $6 billion."
According to research from the National Fire Protection Association, it is now the fifth deadliest wildfire in US history and the worst since the 1918 Cloquet fire in Minnesota, which left more than 400 dead.
20 min ago
Lahaina residents "don't have anywhere to go" as they await access to the town, business owner says
From CNN's Adrienne Vogt
As the road into Lahaina opened and abruptly closed several times to residents on Saturday, a restaurant owner from the wildfire-devastated Maui town offered her perspective on the situation.
"They don't have anywhere to go. It's really important for America to understand that Lahaina is completely isolated by one road," Laren Gartner, who owns the now-destroyed Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, told CNN. "You can't go from Santa Monica to L.A. ... to Orange County. You can't go anywhere," said Gartner, comparing the situation to traveling around California, where she is currently staying. "You're stuck. You're on one road; even if you turn around, you're not going anywhere."
"Everyone is in such chaos about what to do. They have this huge amount of people who have no place to live. Everything they own, their money, their credit cards, everything is gone. They're relying on (getting) in line. It's a horrifying situation," she said.
Gartner said the lack of reliable communication is compounding a difficult situation. While about 90% of her employees have checked in, she can only get them on the phone "for seconds."
19 min ago
Want to help with Hawaii disaster relief? Keep these things in mind before you donate
From CNN's Samantha Delouya
If you’re looking to donate money to help those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii, it’s important to follow certain steps to ensure your money is going to the right place.
Here are tips to make sure your donation is going to a legitimate charity:
How to pick the organization: Several sites help people find and support legitimate charities, including Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance and CharityWatch. Dig deeper into an organization’s reputation after finding a legitimate charity you’re considering supporting.
The US Federal Trade Commission suggests when conducting an online search of any charity, you should add the words “complaint,” “review,” “fraud,” or “scam” to the search terms.Doing this should bring up any bad reviews or red flags about the organization.
It’s also helpful to know if the group you’ve selected is registered as a 501(c)3, meaning it’s registered as a tax-exempt non-profit. Look up the organization in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search. If the charity is a registered 501(c)3, you may want to save a record of your contribution since it’s tax deductible.
When you feel confident about making your donation, it’s best to use a credit card or check, since those types of payments are easily traceable. After contributing to a charity, review your bank account and credit card statements to ensure you’ve only been charged the agreed-upon amount.
Tips for donating through a platform like GoFundMe: When donating through a platform like GoFundMe, ActBlue or WinRed, make sure to check whether the site is keeping some of your donation as a processing fee.
For many crowdfunding sites, your money will first go directly to the crowdfunding organizer, and not necessarily the end-recipient of the donations. So double-check that the organizer will pass along the funds to the person or cause they claim to be supporting.
Be on the lookout for scams: Don’t let anyone rush you into donating on the phone on the spot; take time to do the proper research. Never donate with a wire transfer or gift card, which is difficult to track if something goes awry. Also, if an organization insists on a donation using cryptocurrency, another hard-to-track form of payment, that should set off alarm bells. Avoid sending funds from payment apps like Venmo or Zelle. Those apps should only be used to send money to people you know, since it’s difficult to recoup funds once someone receives them.
CNN Impact Your World is raising money to support relief efforts in Maui. Click here to help.
The official death toll has reached 93 in this week’s wildfires on Maui, and there are warnings it could rise further.
The blaze that devastated the historic town of Lahaina is now the deadliest US wildfire in over 100 years, officials said. Hawaii's governor says more than 2,000 structures were damaged or destroyed, with losses approaching $6 billion.
As the fires broke out and Maui lost power and communications, Hawaii's outdoor siren warning system – the largest in the world – was not activated, according to officials. Hawaii's attorney general will lead a review of the emergency response.
Here's how to help victims of the wildfires in Hawaii.
In an area with limited connectivity? Get the latest news here.
A professional photographer who accompanied firefighters still battling the blazes in Maui said they have been "working around the clock" to keep the fires at bay.
"These guys have been working around the clock since Tuesday, you know, fighting these fires. A lot of them haven't slept," Daniel Sullivan told CNN.
Helicopters were dropping "hundreds of gallons of water, just trying to stay on top of it," he said.
"The winds are the real enemy up there, and luckily we had a couple calm days, which was good. So that kind of helped them to get on top of the fires. But these are big forest fires. This isn't something we're used to. And when these trees are so hot, what happens is, roots burn underneath," Sullivan said.
"Under the ground, those roots are burning, and then it can just jump up anywhere. And you have these fires that would start, and you would think there's no fire there, but when you take the temperature of the soil, it's 180, 200 degrees in the soil because those roots are burning," he said.
Firefighters continue to battle three separate fires. The Lahaina fire that has claimed the lives of at least 80 people is 85% contained, the County of Maui said on Friday. Additionally, the Pulehu fire, southeast of Lahaina near Kihei, is 80% contained, the county said in a Facebook post around 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. ET) Friday. And the fire in Upcountry Maui, the hilly center of the island where firefighters have struggled to access flames in ravines, is now 50% contained.
Sullivan said he grew up in New Orleans and compared what he is seeing in Maui to what the Louisiana city looked like after Hurricane Katrina hit. "lt's like Katrina, you know, it's wiped out. There's nothing left," he added.
The fire that destroyed the historic town of Lahaina in West Maui is now the deadliest US blaze in over 100 years, according to US Fire Administrator Lori Moore-Merrell.
"This now has superseded (California’s) Camp Fire from 2018," Merrell said during a news conference Saturday.
The Camp Fire that ravaged Butte County in Northern California in November 2018 killed 85 people, burning a total of 153,336 acres and destroying more than 18,000 structures.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Saturday described the fires as the "largest natural disaster Hawaii has ever experienced" — with around 2,200 structures destroyed and losses "approaching $6 billion."
According to research from the National Fire Protection Association, it is now the fifth deadliest wildfire in US history and the worst since the 1918 Cloquet fire in Minnesota, which left more than 400 dead.
As the road into Lahaina opened and abruptly closed several times to residents on Saturday, a restaurant owner from the wildfire-devastated Maui town offered her perspective on the situation.
"They don't have anywhere to go. It's really important for America to understand that Lahaina is completely isolated by one road," Laren Gartner, who owns the now-destroyed Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, told CNN. "You can't go from Santa Monica to L.A. ... to Orange County. You can't go anywhere," said Gartner, comparing the situation to traveling around California, where she is currently staying. "You're stuck. You're on one road; even if you turn around, you're not going anywhere."
"Everyone is in such chaos about what to do. They have this huge amount of people who have no place to live. Everything they own, their money, their credit cards, everything is gone. They're relying on (getting) in line. It's a horrifying situation," she said.
Gartner said the lack of reliable communication is compounding a difficult situation. While about 90% of her employees have checked in, she can only get them on the phone "for seconds."
If you’re looking to donate money to help those affected by the wildfires in Hawaii, it’s important to follow certain steps to ensure your money is going to the right place.
Here are tips to make sure your donation is going to a legitimate charity:
How to pick the organization: Several sites help people find and support legitimate charities, including Charity Navigator, BBB Wise Giving Alliance and CharityWatch. Dig deeper into an organization’s reputation after finding a legitimate charity you’re considering supporting.
The US Federal Trade Commission suggests when conducting an online search of any charity, you should add the words “complaint,” “review,” “fraud,” or “scam” to the search terms.Doing this should bring up any bad reviews or red flags about the organization.
It’s also helpful to know if the group you’ve selected is registered as a 501(c)3, meaning it’s registered as a tax-exempt non-profit. Look up the organization in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search. If the charity is a registered 501(c)3, you may want to save a record of your contribution since it’s tax deductible.
When you feel confident about making your donation, it’s best to use a credit card or check, since those types of payments are easily traceable. After contributing to a charity, review your bank account and credit card statements to ensure you’ve only been charged the agreed-upon amount.
Tips for donating through a platform like GoFundMe: When donating through a platform like GoFundMe, ActBlue or WinRed, make sure to check whether the site is keeping some of your donation as a processing fee.
For many crowdfunding sites, your money will first go directly to the crowdfunding organizer, and not necessarily the end-recipient of the donations. So double-check that the organizer will pass along the funds to the person or cause they claim to be supporting.
Be on the lookout for scams: Don’t let anyone rush you into donating on the phone on the spot; take time to do the proper research. Never donate with a wire transfer or gift card, which is difficult to track if something goes awry. Also, if an organization insists on a donation using cryptocurrency, another hard-to-track form of payment, that should set off alarm bells. Avoid sending funds from payment apps like Venmo or Zelle. Those apps should only be used to send money to people you know, since it’s difficult to recoup funds once someone receives them.
CNN Impact Your World is raising money to support relief efforts in Maui. Click here to help.
