Current:Home > ScamsMaui police release body camera footage showing race to evacuate Lahaina residents: "This town is on fire"-LoTradeCoin
Maui police release body camera footage showing race to evacuate Lahaina residents: "This town is on fire"
View Date:2024-12-23 21:03:26
Maui police released body camera footage Monday showing officers racing to evacuate residents during the deadly August wildfire in the historic town of Lahaina.
The 16-minute compilation shows officers working against time, knocking on doors and urging residents to leave their homes. As the flames drew closer and the smoke thickened, the urgency in their voices grew.
"This town is on fire. Multiple have died," one officer is heard saying. "We don't want everybody to die."
A total of 97 people are confirmed to have died in the Maui wildfires. More than 2,000 buildings, the majority of them homes, were also destroyed.
Throughout the day of the Lahaina fire, officers' efforts are seen escalating as the fire continues to spread. In one clip, officers use a garden hose to try to slow the flames and give people more time to leave.
Video shows officers frantically banging on door after door – telling anyone inside to leave. At the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf shop in Wailuku, they found 15 people sheltered inside.
As night descended on Lahaina, video shows decreased visibility, and officers can be heard coughing, likely due to the thick smoke. "I hope we got as many people out as we can out of there," one officer said.
The release of the footage comes as West Maui, home to Lahaina, is welcoming tourists again — and as people continue to recover.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. But Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told "CBS Mornings" last month he believes a "big part" of the fire was due to the role of climate change in the disaster. He said a "fast and furious" fire, fueled by hurricane-force winds, took just 17 minutes to tear through Lahaina.
Jonathan VigliottiJonathan Vigliotti is a CBS News correspondent based in Los Angeles. He previously served as a foreign correspondent for the network's London bureau.
TwitterveryGood! (9)
Related
- FBI raids New York City apartment of Polymarket CEO Shayne Coplan, reports say
- Lyft and Uber say they will leave Minneapolis after city council forces them to pay drivers more
- Kacey Musgraves offers clear-eyed candor as she explores a 'Deeper Well'
- Prison inmates who failed a drug test are given the option to drink urine or get tased, lawsuit says
- COINIXIAI Introduce
- Driver charged in deadly Arizona crash after report cast doubt on his claim that steering locked up
- The Best Wedding Gift Ideas for Newlyweds Who Are Just Moving in Together
- Saquon Barkley expresses regret over Giants exit as he begins new chapter with Eagles
- As Northeast wildfires keep igniting, is there a drought-buster in sight?
- 'Bee invasion' suspends Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev match at BNP Paribas Open
Ranking
- Wildfires burn on both coasts. Is climate change to blame?
- James Crumbley, father of Oxford High School shooter, found guilty of involuntary manslaughter
- Get $95 Good American Pants for $17, Plus More Major Deals To Keep Up With Khloé Kardashian's Style
- Russell Wilson Is the MVP After Helping Ciara With Her Breastmilk
- Pie, meet donuts: Krispy Kreme releases Thanksgiving pie flavor ahead of holidays
- LSU's investment in Kim Mulkey has her atop women's college basketball coaches pay list
- Trump-backed Senate candidate faces GOP worries that he could be linked to adult website profile
- Banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, a Japanese high court rules
Recommendation
-
Will Aaron Rodgers retire? Jets QB tells reporters he plans to play in 2025
-
A kitchen was set on fire and left full of smoke – because of the family dog
-
TikTok ban would hit many users where it hurts — their pocketbook
-
The Best Wedding Gift Ideas for Newlyweds Who Are Just Moving in Together
-
Mike Williams Instagram post: Steelers' WR shades Aaron Rodgers 'red line' comments
-
A kitchen was set on fire and left full of smoke – because of the family dog
-
Best Buy recalls over 287,000 air fryers due to overheating issue that can melt or shatter parts
-
Wendy Williams 'lacked capacity' when she agreed to film Lifetime doc, unsealed filings say