911 calls from Maui capture pleas for the stranded, the missing and those caught in the fire’s chaos

By REBECCA BOONE, CLAUDIA LAUER and LINDSAY WHITEHURST
Associated Press

The day after the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century destroyed a seaside community on Maui, the barrage of 911 calls didn’t stop: Reports of missing people, stranded family members and confused tourists trapped without food or water lit up the emergency lines every few minutes, interspersed with reports of new fires starting and older ones flaring back up. The 911 recordings from the morning and early afternoon of Aug. 9 were the third batch of calls released by the Maui Police Department in response to a public record request. They show how first responders and dispatchers — many of whom had already worked long and harrowing hours — continued to be hindered by widespread communication failures.