As wildfires burn through Hawaii’s island of Maui, officials have now reported the death toll officially rose to 53 people as of Thursday.
According to People Magazine, the county reported 80% of the fire, which decimated the city of Lahaina, has been contained and 70% of the fire in Pulehu is diminished.
Residents have been urged to evacuate, and others have offered to help. Mia Kittelson of Haiku described her experiences on the island.
She said, “I woke up in the day having absolutely no idea what was going on.”
Once she went to work and learned about the fires, she and a group of coworkers at Maui Longevity Rx partnered with MODO Medical to evacuate people and help them find missing loved ones.
“It was truly like we didn’t know what we were getting ourselves into, but we wanted to help” she stated.
She noted, “One guy had shared with me that he had just lost everything. He gave me his contact to his children and asked me as soon as I could to call them and let them know that he’s alive and that he loves them.”
The New York Post reported that an estimated 1,000 people are still missing. This includes 66-year-old disabled veteran Timm “TK” Williams Sr.
His granddaughter, Brittany Talley, has been searching for him since he sent her pictures of the fire coming near. He has a wheelchair and sometimes uses crutches but has not been heard from since attempting to evacuate.
Various users posted to X, formerly Twitter, seeking help locating family members. Some have even posted about searching for lost pets or seeking help for the animals found amid the destruction.
On #Maui, found or lost a #pet? See below for info! Link mentioned in article: https://t.co/2if9AfNK1z 💚 Please share & check Maui Humane website for ways to help animals of Maui! #MauiFires #lahainastrong #LahainaFires #Hawaii #MauiWildfires #MauiStrong #lostpet #foundpet pic.twitter.com/A9sgPuXvNe
— Dr. V (@ChaliceGarden) August 10, 2023
User John Acastaneda posted seeking any information on the whereabouts of his uncle Mark Stefl.
He later shared an update noting that he got in touch with his uncle and wrote, “He and Aunt Michele made it out by the skin of their teeth to the other side of the island.”
Update: just got a call from Uncle Mark. He and Aunt Michele made it out by the skin of their teeth to the other side of the island. It looks like their home may have been spared too. The neighbors next to them were not as fortunate. pic.twitter.com/MCvE8XdZXT
— i am (@johnAcastaneda) August 9, 2023
“The neighbors next to them were not as fortunate,” he added.