>> reporter: amid the growing frustration, a new nbc news review of public meeting records found andaya repeatedly downplayed the use of sirens, calling them, a last resort >> if i would have had access to that button, i would have pushed it >> do you think the sirens going off would have saved lives >> i do, yeah. >> reporter: andaya's resignation comes as hawaiian electric faces multiple lawsuits alleging the utility is to blame for igniting the fires. the power company says it doesn't comment on pending litigation, stressing the causes of the fires have not been determined. it comes as the death toll balloons to well over 100 with more than half the burn zone searched. >> i'm heartbroken, bro. i'm heartbroken. words can't explaiain because i keep hearing, you know, pepeople i know w that i care about is still unattended for. >> reporter: with upwards of a thousand people still unaccounted for, the few who have been identified so far are mostly the elderly the latest, 71-year-old donna gomes, known for her tough love and big heart, perhaps closure for one family as so many others brac

we have reached out to county officials about andaya's whereabouts. we have not heard back.re learning more about the emotional toll first responders are facing. some have actually returned back home, overwhelmed by what they're finding in the ashes, norah. >> jonathan vigliotti with those important questions, thank you. >>> while the wildfires have taken lives, there's growing concern developers are now trying to take the land. nearly 3,000 structures on maui were affected by the fires, and the cost of rebuilding is in the billions. real estate investors are already making offers with some accusing them of putting profits over people. residents are telling cbs's lilia luciano maui is not for sale. >> reporter: there's a new worry for lahaina residents who survived the inferno. >> lahaina is not for sale. i repeat, lahaina is not for sale. >> reporter: hawaii's governor is considering a moratorium on all land transactions in lahaina to protect locals from opportunistic buyers. >> please don't approach them with an offer to buy land. please don't approach their families to te

as the fire raged, andaya was at a conference in oahu.uring the most critical hours, when winds reached hurricane strength, and the fire was spreading, becoming the nation's deadliest wildfire in more than a century. on maui alone, 80 sirens are in place, designed to warn residents of impending disasters like tsunamis, hurricanes, and wildfires. over this past week, we heard shifting explanations from andaya and other hawaii officials, why the sirens were never activated. >> it's an outdoor siren. so a lot of people who are indoors, air conditioning on, whatever the case may be, they are not going to hear the siren. the siren, as i mentioned earlier, is used primarily for tsunami. had we sounded the siren that night, we are afraid that people would have gone mauka. if that was the case, they would have gone into the fire. >> people are not dumb. people know what to do. >> reporter: shannon says she was lucky to get out. we met her and other families today in lahaina as they gathered to grieve and demand accountability. >> the community it

citing health reasons, herman andaya has stepped down amid withering criticism he literally failed to sound the alarm. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> reporter: as the nation's deadliest fire in more than a century ripped through lahaina, andaya never activated the emergency sirens most often used for tsunami warnings saying had he done so, he feared the public would have moved towards the fire in the hills. >> in hawaii they will tell you sirens have not been used for brush fires. >> reporter: but their website lists wildfires among the very hazards sirens can be used for. >> instant, immediate, it's going off, something is going on. i'm alert. it's sort of difficult to believe that you would be compelled to run toward flames. >> reporter: amid the growing frustration, a new nbc news review of public meeting records found andaya repeatedly downplayed the use of sirens, calling them a last resort. >> if i would have had access to that button, i would have pushed it. >> do you think the sirens going off would have saved lives? >> i do, yeah. >> reporter: anday

. >> reporter: and tonight questions still remain about herman andaya, the now resigned head of maui's emergency response, and his decision to not activate emergency sirens. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i -- i do not. >> reporter: andaya as off-island at the time of the fire, attending a conference for the state's first responders. but sources tell cbs news several off his counterparts pulled out of the event so they could prepare their communities. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: the national weather service issued fire warnings beginning four days before the disaster. as the search for the missing continues, calls for accountability are growing. >> a lot of people, a lot of families we got here, they lost everything, and people lost their lives over here. and this all could have been prevented. >> reporter: and the fire burned so hot, it reduced entire neighborhoods to ash. the governor now warning it could be impossible to find all of the missing, norah. >> jonathan vigliotti, thank you. >>> there are signs tonight that donald trump is preparing to surrender in georgia f

tonight, new questions about exactly where andaya was while lahaina burned.erence on oahu. according to "hawaii news now," a hotel receipt shows a departure date wednesday, august 9th, the day after the fire started. exactly when he left is unclear. and we have reached out to county officials about andaya's whereabouts. we have not heard back. meanwhile, we are learning more about the emotional toll first responders are facing. some have actually returned back home, overwhelmed by what they are finding in the ashes, norah. >> norah: jonathan vigliotti with those important questions. thank you. while the wildfires have taken lives, there is growing concern developers are now trying to take the land. nearly 3,000 structures on maui were affected by the fires, and the cost of rebuilding is in the billions. real estate investors are already making offers, with some accusing them of putting profits over people. residents are telling cbs's lilia luciano maui is not for sale. >> reporter: there is a new worry for lahaina residents who survived the inferno. >> lahain

>> i do, yeah. >> andaya's resignation comes as hawaiian electorate faces multiple lawsuits. alleging the utility is to blame for igniting the fires. the power company says it doesn't comment on pending litigation, stressing the causes of the fires have not been determined. it comes as the death toll balloons to well over 100, with more than half the burn zone searched. >> i'm heartbroken. i'm heartbroken. words cannot explain, because i keep hearing of people i know that are still unattended. >> is with the red cross and joins us from maui tonight. evan, what are you hearing from people who live there? >> we are hearing that they are dealing and living still with the trauma from the other week. that is one of our major points of assistance right now, is helping people, senior citizens, to young children, process the horrific things that they have gone through. just seeing these images, my heart breaks for these people who even days after are still struggling to find the words to express how they are feeling. we are doing our best with spiritual and mental, emotional care, to

the maui county mayor says he will choose andaya's replacement as quickly as possible given the gravity of the crisis. officials have confirmed 111 deaths with 40% of heavily affected areas searched so far. >>> people in ukraine have shown a determination to persevere. one of them is a little gear who has emerged a champion despite suffering a horrific loss. nhk world has her story. >> reporter: this 7-year-old is an avid gymnast. she trains five days a week at a club in southern ukraine. her specialty is doing the splits. >> translator: i really love rhythmic gymnastics. i have been taking classes since i was 4 years old. >> reporter: her movements look quite natural, but her left leg is actually prosthetics. she lost her leg below her knee during a russian missile attack. the bombing occurred in may 2022. a missile hit the place where she and her mother were staying. >> translator: a missile hit just as we entered the courtyard. debris hit her leg. >> reporter: she suffered severe injuries all over her body and was in a coma for two weeks. she had no choice but to have her leg amputat

green said on cbs sunday that he wished the sirens went off and the answer given by herman andaya was utterly unsatisfactory to the world. steven, back to you. >> 1,000 people still missing. brie, thank you. >>> another dangerous wildfire threat is happening right now. this is happening in eastern washington state, multiple fires have forced thousands to evacuate with the largest inferno only 10% contained right now. our jessie kirsch brings us the latest >> reporter: the wildfires ripping across eastern washington state are unrelenting, different places have been raging outside spokane since friday, the largest the out of control gray fire, spanning more than 10,000 acres, tied to at least one death, also burning the oregon road fire and the far smaller wynonna fire the trio fueled by excessive heat and high winds, destroying dozens of structures with thousands ordered to evacuate like melissa thurmen who says her home turned down. >> i can't explain the feeling of knowing that everything you worked for is gone, you know, yeah so there's going to be insurance and stuff, but it doesn'

andaya says that he did not sound those sirens because he thought it would have prompted people to go inland, which usually is the protocol when a tsunami siren is sounded. but a lot of family members argue that that would have at least woke people up, they would have paid attention, they would have walked out, looked around, and realized there was an emergency going on. because so many people we spoke to over these last -- the last week and a half have said we came outside our door and within seconds, the flames had engulfed so many areas around us. and this may have prevented some of the deaths, according to a lot of people here. and there's also some criticism for just kind of the sense of not really taking the sirens as seriously, according to some nbc news exclusive reporting. dating back to 2019, there were several meetings where andaya said that those sirens were last resorts, and people here say what could be more last resort than a wildfire that has swept through town and was, you know, decimating the area? so a lot of concerns. people are still looking for more accountabilit

people know what to do. >> reporter: andaya resigned the following day citing health reasons.anticipated, did downed power lines cause the blaze and why weren't they deactivated and why did it take up to three days for help to arrive after the fire. >> there's an airport up the road. why isn't that being used? there's an oceanfront 20 feet from our lobby. why are we not using that. >> reporter: today there's not just an active search for the missing in what is now the deadliest wildfire in modern american history but demands for more accountability. >> jonathan vigliotti in lahaina. >>> we go to joshua green in honolulu. good morning. thank you for getting up so early, and i'm so sorry for what is going on in your state. >> thank you, margaret. >> governor, can you tell us how many are still unaccounted for, and how long will it take to identify remains? >> more than 1,000 are unaccounted for. about 1050. it will take self weeks still. some of the challenges are going to be extraordinary. as you reported, 85% of the land of the impact zone has been covered now by what amounts

herman andaya stepping down, citing health reasons following widespread criticism that hawaii's emergency sirens were not activated. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens. >> i do not. >> reporter: he defended the system, saying it's mostly used for tsunamis and activating may have pushed people close to flames. >> sirens have not been used for brush fires. >> reporter: andaya downplayed the use of sirens saying the siren is a last resort. >> he told people to believe their house with a siren they've smelled smoke and head into the black smoke, give them the opportunity, that's insulting the intelligence of the people that live here. >> reporter: meanwhile, overnight, another lawsuit filed against hawaiian electric with more allegations that the utility is at fault for starting the fires. the atf now on the ground, assisting with the investigation into the cause. all while search crews continue to scour the charred ruins of lahaina, with more than half the search area completed, at least a thousand people are still unaccounted for, including tasha's uncle pablo, married to his wife nel

nbc's dana griffin has the latest. >> reporter: herman andaya's resignation comes as the independent that could have been done differently. we've heard such criticism from the people of maui as far as enough water being released to make sure that it could fight the fire, the sirens were sounded. herman andaya says he did not sound those sirens because he thought that it could have prompted people to go toward the flame. those tsunami warnings were often used for people to seek higher ground, but residents argue that the sirens would have alerted their elderly relatives to at least go outside and look around that would have given them an opportunity to escape according to a lot of people. hawaiian electric is also under scrutiny for possibly not deenergizing power lines and possibly one of its power lines causing the fire. there's video circulating online, the company says they are looking into the allegations, but they are not commenting on the pending litigation. there's a lot of frustration from people here who are also looking for the missing. 111 people have been confirmed dead,

. >> reporter: and tonight, questions still remain about herman andaya, the now resigned head of maui'ssion to not activate emergency sirens. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> reporter: andaya was off island of the time of the fire, attending a conference for the state's first responders, but sources tell cbs news, several of his counterparts pulled out of the event so they could prepare their communities. >> oh, my gosh! >> reporter: the national weather service issued fire warnings beginning four days before the disaster. >> a lot of people, a lot of families, they lost everything. and people lost their lives, and this all could have been prevented. >> reporter: the governor now warning, it could be impossible to find all of the missing. the fire burned so hot he said, it reduced entire neighborhoods to ash, norah. >> norah: jonathan vigliotti, thank you so much for all of your reporting. there are signs tonight that donald trump is preparing to surrender in georgia for racketeering and other charges related to his attempt to overturn the 2020 election. cbs's r

herman andaya citing health concerns, as wildfires spread throughout the island killing at least 111ple. officials estimate 1,300 are still missing with shell shocked residents listing the names of loved ones on this google spreadsheet, adding markers for people found and those still not located. they say they're only just beginning to wrap their minds around the depth of this tragedy. >> a lot of us haven't even had time to grieve. we're just slowly getting out of the survivor mode. >> as some in maui ask for space urging visitors to stay away, there's also growing concern for the island's economy. 70% of every dollar is tied to tourism. nbc's dana griffin is on the ground there. dana, what more can you tell us about this official's resignation and the independent investigator being brought in? >> reporter: herman andaya's resignation comes as the independent investigator will now look at the critical decision-making, the policies, and also actions taken the day of the fire to see if there was anything that could have been done differently. we've heard such criticism from the people

andaya said, if they sounded the alarm, people would run uphill thinking it was a tsunami to get them out of their home realizing that ash and smoke and embers are getting around and you should get away from the fire that could have probably saved lives. >> and speaking to the official there yesterday, talking about kids who may have been home alone in the midst of all of this because the schools were closed. bill weir, it's got to be hard to see all of this firsthand, so thanks for being there with us and helping us tell those stories. for more information about how you can help hawaii wildfire victims, please go to cnn.com/impact. lots of great options there. or text hawaii to 707070. that's 707070 to donate. >>> and now to the rare west coast hurricane, a category 4 hurricane named hilary. its winds are now lashing mexico. the u.s. will feel that storm soon. it could dump more than a year's worth of rain on three states, california, nevada, and arizona starting this week including areas that don't normally get anywhere near this amount of rain. cnn meteorologist chad myers is in th

mow wee's emergency services chief herman andaya has resigned.ot activating sirens as the wildfires swept into lahaina. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> reporter: new aerial footage shows the widespread destruction caused by the deadliest u.s. wildfire in over a century. on the ground, rescue teams with cadaver dogs are still searching for hundreds of victims. many believed to be children. >> the devastation is so severe. the -- remains that we're finding are almost unrecognizable. multiple generations living in singular homes. >> reporter: as recovery efforts continue, hawaii's attorney general announced there will be an independent review to assess how state and county agencies prepared and responded to the wildfires. officials are also sounding alarms on scammers looking to make money off the tragedy. hawaiian actor jason momoa posted this warning to his social media followers. >> there has been some people -- on instagram, pretending to be me. asking for money. pure evil. >> reporter: the american red cross has set up

herman andaya had come under fierce criticism for his handling of the disaster, amid questions over whyto look for a replacement as quickly as possible. meanwhile, the search for victims continues. at least 111 are now confirmed dead. crews are searching some 2,000 burnt businesses and homes, but the job is not yet even 50% complete. while the exact cause of the wildfires is being investigated, mounting evidence shows downed power lines could have played a role. here's the bbc'sjohn sudworth. maui's fight continues. this pilot, hovering above a swimming pool,

. >> reporter: it comes as maui's recently resigned emergency management administrator, herman andayander fire for not activating the emergency sirens, saying that could have sent people toward the flames >> we're not stupid. we know what a fire looks like. >> reporter: with cell service spotty, kindergarten teacher, kim comato says she has been able to reach only 8 of her 23 students' families >> own that you were wrong and it cost lives. these children on the hill, the ones we can't find, those are our students >> reporter: this is noaa the cadaver dog, they have managed to find eight of the victims so far. >> reporter: is there a pattern you're noticing when you find these bodies >> smoke inhalation puts you to sleep, so a lot of these victims went to sleep before they were affected >> reporter: with nearly 80% of the burn area searched and hundreds still missing, many on maui are holding out hope while lending a helping hand to each other as the road to recovery begins. >> dana griffin joins me now from maui. there's a new warning for residents there? >> reporter: that's right, jo

i think herman andaya was still in charge. he just wasn't present. >> reporter: this week, west maui bracing for a fire weather watch with conditions so dry and windy, they already produced a fire just days ago. >> lahaina is burning. oh, lord help us. >> reporter: kimo clark recorded the flames from a rooftop as he responded twice to fires that day with his personal water tanker and team. >> describe the heroism from sort of every aspect of what was going on >> i seen neighbors grabbing their garden hoses and putting out their neighbors' houses i've seen people in the fire grab an elderly person or a child. >> reporter: the president today pledging 95 million to harden hawaii's electric grid. >> to make sure electricity can continue to reach homes, hospitals, water stations even during intense storms. >> reporter: as maui looks to strengthen its safety protocols, its spirit remains strong >> the specialness of people that are born here, the generations, the families, the traditions, that's what makes lahaina lahaina. >> repor

. >>> maui's top emergency management official has resigned, herman andaya left his post yesterday, citing health concerns. he's faced harsh criticism for his decision not to sound warning sirens as wildfires swept across the island. andaya defended his decision yesterday, saying those are sirens that are used to warn the coast of tsunamis. he feared they would actually send people inland toward the flames. the death toll is now 111. this is new drone video of the widespread destruction, as the search goes on for bodies. at the same time, teams of federal investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fire. >>> new video showing the first of several fires that may have been caused by downed power lines. hurricane force winds were blowing across the island that day. the power company has not released a comment, saying they're still investigating. >>> as students head back to school, some may have fallen behind in immunizations because families were nervous about taking healthy kids to the doctor during the pandemic. california requires children be vaccinated against -- school

herman andaya received criticism for not activating a warning sirens after the water wildfire swept in. the 19-year-old jumped in the ocean along with his mother and younger brother to survive the flames. >> just thinking about all the people's homes and all the people, all the pets, they had nowhere to go. >> reporter: his family's home is one of the thousands destroyed, he said he can't stress enough how much help the island needs. >> if you want to help the people of maui, we have everything you need to know to be a part of this website effort . >>> residence in a san mateo neighborhood are being warned to stay inside after a mountain lion was spotted in the area, police confirming the cat was seen near south grant street. officers responded to the scene but they couldn't find it. additional resources were called in. police are asking residents in the surrounding area to stay inside their homes and anyone who spots the mountain lion should call authorities. >>> to some other top stories we are following, san jose police returning to james lick high school just a day after two studen

herman andaya left his post citing health concerns. he has faced harsh criticism on his decision to not sound sirens. he defended that decision yesterday saying the sirens are primarily used to warn the coast of nominees and he was worried it was on the people inland towards the flames. the death toll is 111 people, including children. this is drone video of the widespread destruction. next monday, the president and first lady will visit maui and a team of federal investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fires. new video is emerging showing the first of several fires that could've been caused by downed power lines. the power company has not released an official comment saying all of the well fires are still under investigation. >>> people are stepping up to help the survivors, that includes former warriors coach, don nelson. nelly moved to maui shortly after his hall of fame career ended. he is using his rental property as free temporary housing for people who just lost their homes. he said none of his properties w

herman andaya is citing health reasons.his decision not to sound those warning sirens as the wildfire ways was sweeping the town of lahaina. it killed at least 111 people so far and more than 1000 still missing tonight. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. the sirens, as i had mentioned earlier, is used primarily for tsunami's. had we sounded the siren that night, we are afraid that people would have gone -- and if that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire. >> the mayor of maui says he is going to be appointing someone else in that role as quickly as possible, given how crucial it is at this time. meanwhile, as hawaiians are dealing with the unimaginable loss of what they are dealing with on the ground tonight, the fbi is now warning to be on high alert against criminals who are exploiting these disaster victims with scams. joining me tonight is maui resident ella sable tacderan. ella, thank you for being here. i want to just, first off -- i know but that what you have been through the las

andaya is citing health concerns but this could be part of the independent investigation. the attorney general said she wanted a third-party investigator, and i want to quote her here, she says, an independent review will ensure that all aspects of the incident, including any potential shortcomings in preparation, response and communication are thoroughly examined, and that's what a lot of people here in lahaina want. they want accountability, and you could potentially see other leaders, possibly either resigning or being called to the table about some of the decisions that were made that day. investigators and search and rescue crews are behind us down here in lahaina, searching for the missing, which could be as high as 1,300. the death toll still stands at 111. >> dana griffin, thank you for that. >>> now to former president trump's decision to cancel the big press conference he had planned for monday. nbc's ken dilanian is following that. and also, this push to have one of his trials delayed until 2026. what can you tell us, ken? >> chris, it appears to be a rare insta

maui's emergency services chief, herman andaya, has resigned citing health reasons a day after rejecting criticism for not activating sirens as the wildfires swept into lahaina. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i -- i do not. >> reporter: new footage shows the widespread destruction caused by the deadliest u.s. wildfire in over a century. on the ground, rescue teams with cadaver dogs are still searching for hundreds of victims, many believed to be children. >> the devastation is so severe, the remains that we're finding are almost unrecognizable. multiple generations living in singular homes. >> reporter: as recovery efforts continue, hawaii's attorney general announced there will be an independent review to assess how state and county agencies prepared and responded to the wildfires. officials are also sounding alarms on scammers looking to make money off the tragedy. hawaiian actor jason momoa posted this warning to his social media followers -- >> there has been some people on instagram pretending to be me asking for money, pure evil. >> reporter: the american red cross ha

. >> that was herman andaya. he cited health reasons for his departure.has come under a lot of scrutiny after last week's wildfires are being blamed for at' 111 deaths. hawaii's attorney general will be engaging with a third-party organization to assess the fire response. maui's mayor says given the gravity of the destruction, death on maui, a replacement for herman andaya will be named as soon as possible. >>> exclusive reporting this morning about pro-trump to lawyer kenneth chesebro and where he was during the insurrection on january 6th at the u.s. capitol. he was the alleged architect for a slate of fake electors. racketeering and other charges in georgia's election subversion case. shimon prokupecz joins us with his exclusive reporting, this is significant information uncovered by our investigative team here at cnn and it shows that he was at the capitol on the capitol grounds just outside the doors of the capitol surrounded by the mob of protesters. also, following a round, the leading voice of the stop the steal movement, conspiracy theorist alex

herman andaya left his post yesterday, citing health concerns. he's faced harsh criticism for his decision not to sound warning sirens, as wildfires swept across the island. andaya defended his decision yesterday, saying the sirens are used to warn of tsunamis. he feared the sirens would send people inland toward the flames. we have drone video of the widespread destruction as the search goes on for victims. at the same time, teams of federal investigators are working to determine the exact cause of the fire. nbc's miguel almaguer has more from maui on what may have caused those fires. >> reporter: good morning. the wildfire investigation continues here in maui, with the death toll now at over 100. there's been a lot of attention on hawaiian electric, the power company in this area, that some say had downed power lines during the massive windstorm, which may have led to several fires. that's under investigation. the fbi remains here on the ground for their role in that. meantime, the search area where at least 111 bodies have been recovered, is s

president's visit comes three days after maui's top emergency management official resigned, when herman andaya stood by his decision to not sound emergency sirens that often dicate a tsunami, local leaders, including the governor, appeared to stand by his side, but he offeder this suddenly stark rebuke >> do i wish those sirens went off? of course i do. >> reporter: in maui the demand for accountability, the plea for presidential help, and the endless sea of heartbreak. as the death toll swells well over 100 the vast majority of the burn zone has been searched, but more than 1,000 people remain unaccounted for back to you. >> all right more to watch there. miguel, thank you. >>> well, another dangerous wildfire emergency is growing at this hour. this time it's in washington state. three different fires have been burning outside spokane since friday the largest has burned more than 10,000 acres and is only about 10% contained. at least two deaths are now believed to be linked to these fires. thousands of people are under evacuation orders. our jess kirsch spoke to a woman who lost her home. >>

resigned citing health reasons, one week after the deadly wildfires started and one day after herman andayadefended not sounding sirens to warn people as the flames engulfed thousands of homes and businesses. officials have now identified six victims as the death toll of 111 is expected to rise over the coming days. meanwhile, concerns are mounting over climate gentrification in the tragedies wake. many native hawaiians had already been priced out of their land due to a swelling housing crisis, with hawaii ranking as the most expensive state to rent or own a home in the u.s. hawaiians and residents of hawaii have reported receiving predatory calls from developers seeking to buy their property. hurricane hilary grew to a category 4 storm off the pacific coast of mexico and is expected to bring heavy downpours and flooding to parts of the u.s. southwest and northwestern mexico this weekend. in spain's canary islands, thousands have been evacuated as the tenerifÉ wildfire continues to burn out of control. tenerifÉ, a popular vacation island, has seen higher than average temperatures this summe

you know, it's pretty insulting that herman andaya said that the sirens were held back because people migh assignt believe it was a tsunami. and emergency management system is designed for all emergencies . and this is an island out in the middle of the pacific, which its threats includindle oe tsunami, hurricane, war. it's the closest to north korea and to china. that siren doesn't mean run necessarily towardt s the. and i think people are smart enough to see flames and not run into the flameto ps. flames people try to run away from c the flames. they ran to the water. and back to that numbehere wasrf that. here's what i was told. okay. i talked to a lot of, people al over west maui, including a lot of guyng a s who dove into that fire to fight it. thisding to what i've been tol . the number is going to be way higher. all of those guys said tha by of these guys sat reluctantly to me. they didn't want to put numbers on it. they did seen they saw many,nt many bodies. now, i want you to know thatou t therelell, when i tell you this, there were a lot of children that were sent home from

herman andaya has been heavily criticised for deciding not to activate a siren warning system in themeanwhile, the search for victims continues — at least 111 people are now confirmed dead. crews are searching some 2,000 burnt businesses and homes, but thejob is not even 50% complete. whilst the exact cause of the wildfires is being investigated, mounting evidence shows downed power lines could have played a role. 0ur correspondent in maui, sophie long, sent this update. ever since this tragedy happened and we started to learn about the loss of life, we've heard from people who escaped that night and how they had no warnings. everyone has demanded to know why they didn't get more warning. they knew that a fire was burning, they knew that there were very high gusts of wind and yet maui has a very good outdoor alert system and those sirens were not used. they're in place to alert people to wildfires and tsunamis, mainly. those sirens were not sounded on the day. instead, we heard harrowing tales from survivors as they fled with heat burning their back. now, yesterday, on wednesday, the

overnight, after days of criticism, the head of maui's emergency management agency, herman andaya, resigning, citing health concerns. >> do you regret not sounding the sirens? >> i do not. >> reporter: his story changing over the course of one news conference. >> the sirens, as i had mentioned earlier, is used primarily for tsunamis. the public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the siren is sounded. if that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire. it's an outdoor siren, so a lot of people who are indoors, air-conditioning on, whatever the case may be, they're not going to hear the siren. >> reporter: the government's own website contradicting that account, saying the all-hazard siren system can be used for wildfires. 5 of maui's 80 sirens in lahaina alone. residents say they could have given them the chance to escape. we saw firsthand the devastation left behind, as those who call lahaina home saw what's left of their beloved town. as residents are being let back in for the first time, they're seeing just how widespread the devastation is. miles and miles, the

herman andaya had come underfierce criticism for his handling of the disaster amid questions over why of the crisis. maui's county mayor vowed to look for a replacement as quickly as possible. meanwhile, the search for victims continues. at least 111 are now confirmed dead. crews are searching some 2,000 burnt businesses and homes but the job is not yet even 50—percent complete. while the exact cause of the wildfires is being investigated, mounting evidence shows downed power lines could have played a role. here's the bbc�*sjohn sudworth. maui's fight continues. this pilot hovering above a swimming pool now being used to douse the flames further down the hill. these homes, some distance from the destroyed coastal town of lahaina, are in the centre of the island where, last week, just before the fires, the cameras at this bird sanctuary captured a bright flash. staff believe it is a tree falling on a power line. shortly afterwards, flames can be seen in the forest. ross hart saw something similar before his home burned down. we could hear some trees falling here and there in the distan

emergency management boss herman andaya has resigned, effective immediately. this is probably because he has been under a lot of major criticism for failing to activate malley's extensive system of warning sirens during last week wildfires. on wednesday, he defended his decision, saying that residents might have actually heard the sirens and ran to high ground when they heard them, and would have ended up running into the fire. a lot of people did not buy that excuse, so he is out. while that played out, we know a lot of you are stepping up to help survivors in maui. >>> an example is right here, faculty and staff at cal state east bay in hayward are creating a donation drive. many there say they have family in maui who have lost homes. >> i cannot imagine how people are coping at this time. it just hit really close to home to know that the people i care about here, on this campus, are also affected. so how do we engage our community to give back? >> those organizers giving back our organizing donations from hayward to san francisco. >>> good morning to friend

herman andaya has cited health reasons for the decision.response — amid questions over why maui's emergency sirens were not used at the height of the emergency. maui's county mayor says they are quickly looking for a replacement. dozens of migrants are missing, presumed dead, after their boat was found off cape verde. police say their wooden vessel was discovered adrift in the atlantic ocean, about 277 kilometres from the resort island of sal. 0ur west africa correspondent mayeni jones has been following the story and spoke to a family member of one of the victims. i spoke to the relatives of one of them, a young man, he was just 23 years old. his brother said that he was, he decided to leave the country because he had a young family, he had two children, he had a wife, he was struggling to provide for them. he said we are fishermen, in senegal there are very few opportunities for us to make money. he told me that as a matter of fact, a few weeks before his brother decided to attempt this crossing, he had already tried once before to go the

herman andaya has been heavily criticised for deciding not to activate a siren warning system in the the wildfires. meanwhile, the search for victims continues — at least 111 people are now confirmed dead. whilst the exact cause of the wildfires is being investigated — mounting evidence shows downed power lines could have played a role. thousands of people are rushing to leave a city in canada's north west as wildfires close in on their remote community. fires have been spreading across canada's sparsely—populated northwest territories for months now, but in recent days they've threatened the territory's capital, yellowknife. it has a population ofjust 20,000. the next largest city lies 1,000 kilometres away. that makes the emergency response much more difficult. the order to leave came as the fire reached yellowknife's boundaries. 0llie williams is a journalist from yellowknife who has fled the city. he gave us this update a short while ago. i'm now in a small village called fort simpson, which is about 630 kilometres west of yellowknife. probably sounds like a huge distance. it rea