Emergency sirens fail to sound alarm as Maui residents forced to seek refuge in ocean amid horrific wildfire

Maui officials admitted on Friday that they did not activate the warning sirens that are supposed to alert the public in case of an emergency, as the island was engulfed by deadly wildfires.

The Hawaii Emergency Services Administration (HI-EMA) said that the sirens, which are tested every month, were not used when the fires broke out and spread rapidly. Instead, HI-EMA relied on other methods of communication, such as mobile devices, radio and television, and a voluntary resident alert system. However, these may have been ineffective due to widespread power and cellular outages across Maui.

“Neither Maui nor HI-EMA activated warning sirens on Maui during the wildfire incident,” the agency said in a statement.

“The sirens are used to alert the public to seek additional information; they do not necessarily indicate an evacuation.”

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said he did not know why the sirens were not used, but he noted that the fire destroyed much of the equipment.

Many survivors who did not receive or notice the alerts said they only realized how dangerous the situation was when they saw the flames or heard explosions nearby.

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“There was no warning. There was absolutely none. Nobody came around. We didn’t see a fire truck or anybody,” said Lynn Robinson, who lost her home in the fire.

The disaster claimed at least 55 lives, but officials expect that number to rise in the next few days.

About 1,000 people are still missing.

On Friday, some residents of Lahaina were allowed to return to their homes for the first time since they escaped the wildfires. They found that the historic community was reduced to ashes and rubble.

Survivors walked through the charred remains of old buildings and landmarks that made Maui a popular tourist destination.

A line of burned cars that could not outrun the fire was left in the street where they were consumed by the intense heat.

Some palm trees were still standing but completely scorched, and boats in the harbor were almost melted by the fire.

The fires were so fierce in Lahaina that some survivors had to flee into the ocean to avoid the extreme heat.

Many survivors came back to find that nothing was left of their belongings except their lives.

At least three wildfires started on Maui this week, driven by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane.

It is estimated to be the second worst disaster in Hawaii’s history, after Hurricane Iniki in 1992, according to calculations by Karen Clark & Company, a leading disaster and risk modeling company.

On Friday, Lauren Sánchez announced that she and her fiance Jeff Bezos were donating $100 million to help Maui recover from the tragedy.

“Jeff and I are heartbroken by what’s happening in Maui,” Sánchez wrote on Instagram.

“We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated. The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer term rebuilding that will have to happen — even after much of the attention has subsided.”

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The couple joined other celebrities who have shown their support for Maui in the wake of the tragedy — Oprah Winfrey, who lives part-time on Maui, was seen volunteering at a makeshift shelter Thursday and pro-golfer Collin Morikawa said he would donate $1,000 for every birdie he makes during the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The federal government released food and water to support 5,000 people for five days after President Biden declared a federal disaster for the islands on Thursday.

Maui residents are under a strict curfew from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m. Saturday.

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