Nearshore Search For Human Remains Continues Off Lahaina

Snorkel gear is being used now after dry suits and fully encapsulated face masks were used last weekend by rescue and dive crews.

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Snorkel gear is being used now after dry suits and fully encapsulated face masks were used last weekend by rescue and dive crews.

More than two weeks after the fire that destroyed Lahaina and killed at least 115 people, a team of 40 crew members from the Maui Fire Department and Ocean Safety continues to search for underwater human remains.

When the fire burned through town on Aug. 8, reports emerged of people who jumped into the ocean in an attempt to escape the blaze.

The area being searched stretches 4 miles along the coast from Puamana Beach Park up to Waihikuli Wayside Park, though “we’re really being meticulous about the area along Front Street,” Maui Fire Department Capt. Peter Vanderpoel said in a press release issued by the Department of Land and Natural Resources on Wednesday.

DLNR’s Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement, the department’s law enforcement agency, is also on-site providing assistance.

Wednesday’s search involved the nearshore waters off of Front Street and Lahaina Small Boat Harbor.

Civil Beat’s coverage of Maui County is supported in part by grants from the Nuestro Futuro Foundation.

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