Maui emergency chief resigns after defending decision to not activate sirens during wildfire

The caput of Maui County's exigency absorption bureau resigned connected Thursday, a time aft helium defended his determination to not activate sirens during catastrophic wildfires that person taken much than 100 lives.

Maui Emergency Management Agency head Herman Andaya cited wellness reasons for his resignation, which took contiguous effect.

Andaya was asked Wednesday whether helium regretted not activating exigency sirens arsenic wildfires dispersed crossed West Maui: "I bash not," helium said astatine a property conference

Andaya said the sirens are chiefly utilized for tsunamis and the nationalist is trained to question higher ground. Escaping to higher crushed would person been unsafe during the wildfires, helium said.

"We were acrophobic radical would person gone 'mauka,'" Andaya said, utilizing a Hawaiian connection for mountainside. "And if that was the lawsuit they would person gone into the fire."

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said helium would denote a replacement for Andaya soon: "Given the gravity of the situation we are facing, my squad and I volition beryllium placing idiosyncratic successful this cardinal presumption arsenic rapidly arsenic possible," Bissen said successful a connection Thursday.

At slightest 111 radical person perished successful the blaze arsenic of Wednesday, with the decease toll expected to emergence arsenic hunt dogs proceed to comb the wreckage of the devastated historical municipality of Lahaina. The inferno is the deadliest wildfire successful the U.S. successful much than a period and the worst catastrophe successful Hawaii authorities history.

State and section exigency absorption officials look increasing scrutiny implicit whether they did capable to alert the nationalist arsenic the wildfires spread.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced connected Thursday that she volition pat an autarkic researcher to reappraisal the authorities and section effect to the wildfires.

"This volition beryllium an impartial, autarkic review," Lopez said successful a statement. 

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday the reappraisal is not a transgression investigation.

"It's not a transgression probe successful immoderate way," Green said. "Right present we are moving to find retired however we tin marque definite it's harmless arsenic we spell done hurricane season, arsenic we woody with the world that determination volition beryllium fires period successful and period retired for the decades to come."