Hawaii governor: Crews could find ’10 to 20 people a day’ until searches end

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green (D) said that rescue crews could find “10 to 20 people a day” until they’re finished with ongoing searches for causalities in the aftermath of the Maui wildfires. 

In an interview with “CBS Mornings” that aired Monday, Green said that there is a grim expectation that rescue crews will find more causalities from the natural disaster. 

“There are more fatalities that will come,” Green told “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Tony Dokoupil. “The fire was so hot that what we find is the tragic finding that you would imagine, as though a fire has come through, and it’s hard to recognize anybody.”

Green, who has been Hawaii’s governor since 2022, told Dokoupil that residents of Lahaina, a historic town that took the brunt of the wildfire, have either escaped or perished. Green added that officials are prepared to receive more tragic stories from the natural disaster. 

“They will find 10 to 20 people per day probably until they finish, and it’s probably going to take 10 days,” Green added. “It’s impossible to guess really.”

Green also said that a comprehensive review will be conducted to find out the reasoning why sirens and other warnings didn’t alert residents of the approaching fires. The governor added that the review is “not to find fault in anyone but to say why this worked and this didn’t work.”

Green’s remarks come as officials updated the death total from the Maui wildfires to 96 lives lost, which marks it as the deadliest wildfire in U.S. history. Green said that more than 2,700 structures have been damaged in Lahaina and nearly $6 billion was lost due to the damages. 

Hawaii Attorney General Anne E. Lopez also launched an investigation into the natural disaster, saying her office will conduct a “comprehensive review” of the “critical decision-making and standing policies” before, during and after the fires.