Number of people still missing after apocalypic fires ripped through Maui falls to 12 – with at least 97 killed by blaze

The number of people not counted in Maui’s wildfire disaster has dropped to 12, according to the list of names released Friday by Maui police.

The department has released its sixth credible list of names, showing that 12 people are still missing, up from 22 last week.

The task of identifying the victims of the horrific fire continues, following the tragic loss of at least 97 lives in August.

It took more than a month for Maui County and federal investigators to narrow the list from thousands shortly after the disaster to dozens now.

But police also emphasized that the list of names only includes people who have filed a formal missing persons report with MPD.

The task of identifying the victims of the horrific fire continues, following the tragic loss of at least 97 lives in August

It has taken more than a month to reduce the list of uncounted people from thousands after the disaster to dozens now

Maui Police Chief John Pelletier has said he is hopeful that all victims of the devastating wildfire that destroyed the town of Lahaina will be officially identified.

The devastating wildfire claimed 97 lives, up from 115 earlier this month. Recent DNA testing revealed that officials had accidentally collected multiple samples from the same individuals.

However, John Byrd, the director of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, warned at a press conference that the current death toll should be considered a minimum because there is a possibility it could rise further.

Of the 97 individuals, 90 individuals have been identified and publicly named, while six others remain unidentified and the family of one other individual has not been notified.

The last victim publicly named was Allen John Constantino, 25, of Lahaina, one of 22 people reported missing last week.

Leola Vierra holds a planter that was part of her cow collection, found in the rubble of her home’s porch. She is one of the residents who can return to their premises in Zone 1-C

Residents were provided with gloves, goggles and hazmat suits to protect them from the toxic fumes and soot left over from the deadly wildfires

Lahaina residents were finally allowed to return to their properties this week for the first time since the Maui wildfires destroyed 3,000 buildings.

Noreen Wales, 84, and her granddaughter Tawni Katayama made an emotional visit to the 1968 property in Maui on Monday.

Wales walked through the ruins with Katayama as they held each other for support during what they described as a painful but important part of the healing process.

Unfortunately, the family fears they will become homeless as prices of properties similar to theirs in Lahaina have reached $1 million or more.

Residents are being gradually allowed back into their homes as part of a program based on phases of re-entry.

The first residents welcomed into what they once called home lived in Zone 1C, mostly along Kaniau Road, the western part of the city.

Katayama said she had a house with a yard and a neighborhood in Lahaina and she worries her children won’t experience that because of Hawaii’s expensive real estate prices.

The zone includes two dozen addresses and approximately 100 inhabitants.

Residents who entered the ‘burn zone’ – where their homes once stood – were given a bag containing gloves, goggles and PPE to cover their bodies and protect them from toxic dust or soot.

Hawaii plans to reopen West Maui to visitors on Oct. 8, according to state Gov. Josh Green.

Green said 7,400 people who lost their homes to the wildfires are moving from hotels to long-term housing.

Maui officials are still calling on families with missing loved ones to submit a DNA sample to aid in the identification process.