Death toll from Hawaii wildfire rises to 102

June 30, 2024

By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
Related Press

HONOLULU (AP) — The death toll from the most devastating wildfire in the United States in more than a century has risen to 102, authorities in Hawaii said Monday.

Claudette Heermance, 68, died March 28 in a hospice in Honolulu from complications related to the fire that devastated the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui last year.

Maui fire report highlights equipment, communication and lack of mutual aid plans

The Maui Police Department announced the death, citing information from the Honolulu Medical Examiner’s Office.

Heermance suffered burns to 20 percent of her body and her case was complicated by numerous other medical conditions, said Dr. Masahiko Kobayashi, the Honolulu medical examiner.

On the day of the fire, she was initially taken to a hospital on Maui, but was flown to Oahu the next day to receive treatment at the state’s only burn unit. Almost four months later, she was admitted to a hospice.

Other causes of death included cardiovascular disease, end-stage renal failure and pressure ulcers, said another coroner who declined to give her name.

The August 8 forest fire was already the worst to hit the United States in over a centuryThe flames raged through the historic town of Lahaina, destroying around 3,000 buildings and leaving 12,000 residents homeless.

Many did not manage to escape the fire in time. Some jumped into the sea to escape the flames.

Officials confirmed the 101. Death in February.

The fire victims were between 7 and 97 years old. more than two thirds were in their 60s or older, according to the Maui Police Department’s list of known victims.