Maui County officials released two hours of audio of 911 calls to The Associated Press that were recorded as frantic residents tried to escape the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century
CLAIRE RUSH and LISA BAUMANNFILE - A man walks through wildfire wreckage in Lahaina, Hawaii, Aug. 11, 2023. Federal authorities have started removing hazardous materials from the Maui wildfires and laying the groundwork to dispose of burnt cars, buildings and other debris. The hazardous materials, including oil, solvent and batteries, are being shipped to the West Coast while the U.S.
The dispatcher asked if he could drive the rig to get away from the fire. When he said he didn’t know how to drive an 18-wheeler, she asked him why he was in it.The man said he was inhaling the pitch black smoke surrounding the truck. Near the end of the call, the panic in his voice rose notably. The dispatcher tried to gently reassure her that officers were in the area. But when she asked how old her mom was, the call dropped.A man called to say he and his wife were trapped because she couldn’t get down the four flights of stairs in their apartment building.
“Let me try my best to get a hold of somebody,” the dispatcher said, “and try to send them your way.”A woman called from Front Street and Baker Street to say she was trapped in traffic. Saying the fire was half a block away from her car, she asked where she could drive to safety because the smoke was too thick to get out and walk.
“We are caught in massive traffic and we’re covered in ashes and embers and there’s a lot of people honking and trying to get out of the road,” she said. “The ashes are engulfing our car and the flames are going on our car.”
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