Official list of those unaccounted for in Maui wildfires decreases

Nearly 400 people remain unaccounted for following the Maui wildfires, according to the FBI — a dramatic shift from the roughly 1,100 who officials said were believed to be missing just days ago.

County of Maui officials put out the list of 388 names Thursday, saying it was “validated” by the FBI so long as it received the first and last name of the unaccounted-for person, as well as a verified contact number for the person reporting that missing individual.

The list does not include identifying information like ages or genders.

“We’re releasing this list of names today because we know that it will help with the investigation,” Police Chief John Pelletier said.

“We also know that once those names come out, it can and will cause pain for folks whose loved ones are listed. This is not an easy thing to do, but we want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to make this investigation as complete and thorough as possible.”

The new list is a far cry from just two days ago, when roughly 1,100 people were said to be unaccounted for — a tally that’s been changing ever since the devastating Aug. 8 blaze that leveled Lahaina.

County officials said, though, that as of late Thursday, an additional 1,732 people previously unaccounted for had been found safe.

Authorities still acknowledged, however, that the official list likely does not account for everyone who remains missing.

Those who believe a loved one or friend is still unaccounted for are encouraged to report them to the Maui Police Department.

Earlier in the week, Pelletier admitted that it was challenging to compile official lists because some people only submitted partial names, while others have been duplicated.

The death toll — 115 people — in the worst wildfire in US history in over a century is also likely to rise, officials have warned repeatedly.

Over two weeks later, experts are still scouring the torched ground for the remains of those who could not escape in time. 

The affected area is about 85% cleared, but the search will take several more weeks, Army Col. David Fielder, deputy commander of the joint task force responding to the wildfires, said Friday.

“We’re not recovering whole bodies. We’re picking up ash and some of it is crumbling,” Pelletier explained.

The family assistance center has also only collected DNA from 104 families thus far, which will slow the already arduous identification process.

The number of people coming forward to submit DNA is “a lot lower” than in comparable disasters, Maui Prosecuting Attorney Andrew Martin said Wednesday.

Authorities are working to prepare residents for the possibility that many missing individuals will never be recovered — and that they will eventually be presumed dead, HawaiiNewsNow reported.

The very tentative updated missing list also comes amid news that Maui’s emergency officials were at a conference in Waikiki the day of the devastating blaze.

One of the attendees was Maui County Emergency Management Agency director Herman Andaya.

Andaya resigned last week, citing “health reasons,” after serious backlash to his management of the Lahaina fire and his qualifications for the post.

With Post wires