Hawaii launches investigation into wildfire response

State Attorney General Anne Lopez on Thursday said her office will launch an independent investigation into the state’s actions during and after the devastating wildfires. At least 111 people died, and the fires destroyed the town of Lahaina. Lopez said a third-party private organization would assess the state’s response to the disaster. The investigation is expected to last several months.

What are residents saying about the response? Though the cause of the fires is still under investigation, some residents have criticized officials for not using Maui’s emergency siren system. Maui County Emergency Management Agency administrator Herman Andaya on Wednesday defended the department’s decision, saying the sirens would have prompted people to move in the wrong direction—away from the water toward the fire. Andaya resigned Thursday. The system website says it may be used for both wildfires and tsunamis. A group of residents this week sued the Hawaiian power utility, arguing that poor emergency response and aging infrastructure contributed to the disaster.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, listen to Sarah Schweinsberg’s report on how a California town was rebuilt after a wildfire that killed dozens of people.