Emergency services chief on Maui quits. He encountered complaint for not starting sirens during fire

August 21, 2023: On Thursday, the head of Maui County’s emergency administration agency resigned, a day after he defended his decision not to start sirens during catastrophic wildfires that have taken more than 100 lives.

Maui Emergency Management Agency administrator Herman Andaya cited health reasons for his concession, which took direct effect.

On Wednesday, Andaya was asked whether he regretted not activating emergency sirens as wildfires spread across West Maui: “I do not,” he said at a press conference.

Andaya stated that the sirens are mainly used for tsunamis, and the public is trained to seek more elevated ground. He noted that escaping to higher ground would have been difficult during the wildfires.

“We were afraid people would have gone ‘mauka,'” Andaya said, using a Hawaiian word for mountainside. “And if that were the case, they would have gone into the fire.”

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen stated that he would announce a replacement for Andaya soon, “Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be putting someone in this key position as quickly as possible,” Bissen stated on Thursday.

At least 111 people have perished in the blaze as of Wednesday, with the death toll expected to increase as search dogs continue to comb the wreckage of the devastated historic town of Lahaina. The inferno is the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century and the worst disaster in Hawaii’s history.

State and local emergency management officials face growing scrutiny over whether they did sufficiently to alert the public as the wildfires spread.

Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Thursday that she will tap an independent investigator to review the state and local response to the wildfires.

“This will be an impartial, independent review,” Lopez said.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said the review is not a criminal investigation on Wednesday.

“It’s not a criminal investigation in any way,” Green stated. “Right now, we are working to find out how to make sure it’s safe as we go through hurricane season, as we deal with the reality that there will be fires month in and month out for the decades to come.”