Heartbreaking footage has emerged of burned pets involved in the devastating Maui wildfires — as crews work to track down missing animals and reunite families.
Maui Humane Society says it has received 367 reports of missing pets since the horrific fires broke out on the Hawaiian island last week.
The animal organization, based in Pu’unene, estimates that about 3,000 animals are still missing as a result of the ongoing tragedy.
The organization’s shelter on Pi’ilani Highway has already received 52 live animals from Lahaina, including 12 who were hospitalized at the facility with injuries.
Eight pets have been reunited with their owners, some of whom have lost everything else.
The hunt for missing pets comes as search crews continue to make their way through the wildfire-ravaged city. Nearly 100 people have been declared dead and more than 1,000 are still missing.
Maui Human Society says it has received 367 missing pet reports since the horrific fires broke out last week
The animal organization, based in Puunene, estimates that around 3,000 animals are still missing as a result of the ongoing tragedy
The organization’s shelter on Pi’ilani Highway in Pu’unēnē has already received 52 live animals from Lahaina
The Humane Society has asked volunteers or residents who come across deceased animals not to move or destroy them.
“We respectfully ask that animals are not moved or destroyed so that we can catalog them,” said CEO Dr. Lisa M Labrecque.
“People are desperate for their pets. Any closure we can provide.”
At a press conference Monday, Labrecque explained that the charity is working closely with the Maui Police Department on appropriate areas to search for animals and will expand its locations when they are able to do so.
Feeding and watering stations have been placed on the edges of the burned areas to lure out any surviving animals hiding inside.
Vet teams have also been posted to Napili Plaza and the Lahaina Civic Center to treat injured animals, mostly for burns and smoke inhalation.
“I’ve been sleeping on the floor for four days,” veterinarian Jenna Wallace now told Maui.
‘I’ve been the only vet here for four days. I slept on the floor.
Feeding and drinking stations have been placed on the edges of the burnt areas to lure out any surviving animals hiding inside.
Eight pets have been reunited with their owners, some of whom have lost everything else
Twelve pets have been admitted to the facility’s clinic with injuries including burns and smoke inhalation
All kinds of animals such as birds, horses, dogs, cats and goats are taken care of
Franklin “Frankie” Trejos, 68, died trying to shelter Sam, a golden retriever. Both were found dead in a car
‘I treated about 45 pets on my own yesterday. … We see that dogs suffer from dehydration, not eating, stress, sitting in cars and being exhausted.’
“The first night we slept on donated dog beds,” she added.
Larger animals such as horses, sheep, pigs and goats are also cared for. Horses and cattle have been moved from Kula and the surrounding fire area.
Field service teams have provided food and water in West Maui and the Upcountry and have brought a 500-gallon water trailer and three trailers of large animal feed to West Maui.
Hawaiian authorities updated the death toll to 99 confirmed victims on Tuesday, but also warned that the number is likely to double as search efforts continue.
Only three people have been formally identified and work has been hampered because many of the remains have been so badly burned.
The grim developments come as more footage emerges of locals’ desperate attempts to flee the bushfires that raged out of control a week ago.
Clyde Wakida is pictured with his wife of 46 years, Penny. He died trying to save the house they built together 35 years ago
Carole Hartley, 60, of Alabama, was one of the first wildfire victims to be identified
A video taken by a resident of Lahaina, the historic city devastated by the fires, shows a large group of people clinging to the shoreline as they are engulfed in clouds of ash, cinders and smoke.
Denny Yuckert, the man who filmed the video, said the group huddled for several hours and nearly suffocated in the smoke.
A small number of active duty U.S. Marines joined the effort to help Maui recover amid criticism of the response, which residents have described as slow and inadequate.
Crews from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 153 flew active duty members from Oahu to Maui on Monday to establish a command and control element that will coordinate further U.S. military support.
The Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are already on the scene, but a larger U.S. active duty force would need a formal request from Hawaii to begin operations there. The creation of a cell could be a signal that a broader Defense Department effort is about to begin.
On Monday, Pentagon spokesman Brig.
General Pat Ryder said the army wants to help but not deploy personnel without coordination so as not to create further logistical problems for the recovery effort.
Many who survived have begun moving into hundreds of hotel rooms reserved for displaced local residents.
Search teams had covered about 25 percent of the search area, Maui police chief John Pelletier said Monday. That is an increase of only three percent on Saturday.
Governor Josh Green previously said he expects “10 to 20” bodies to be recovered daily in an operation expected to last about ten days. On Sunday, about 1,300 remained missing, he said.
The fire that engulfed ancient Lahaina last week destroyed nearly every building in the city of 13,000.
About 86 percent of the approximately 2,200 buildings destroyed were residences, and the value of destroyed properties is estimated to be more than $5 billion.