Article Title: Hawaii fires: number of fatalities drops to 97 as DNA tests help identify victims

Publication: The Guardian

Authors: Guardian staff and agencies

Publication date: 16/09/2023

Topic: Hawaii fire

Link: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/15/hawaii-fires-death-toll-update-dna-testing-
missing

Summary:
This article talks about some possible reasons for the previous announcement with mistaken
figures and how they researched an accurate number of dead people in Hawaii. According to
Hawaii Governor Josh Green, the Maui conflagration has verified at least 97 deaths, a lower
death than earlier claimed, which is at least 115 individuals had perished in the fire. The
devastation caused by the blaze made determining the death much more difficult. In several
situations, animal remains were collected accidentally with human remains. Moreover, the initial
inventory of body bags indicates two bags that belonged to the same person or two persons but
were not recognized. In addition, the Maui police department only includes individuals who have
filed a missing person complaint, and if the report isn’t made within five weeks, the individual
isn’t genuinely missing. As a result, this led to incorrect statistics on the number of people who
died in the wildfires, but with the continual efforts of forensics and anthropologists, they
employed technology and DNA analysis to assist in uncovering the actual number of victims and
reuniting them with their families. The number of those who have gone missing has also
decreased from 41 to 31. 74 of the dead have been identified, which made a little ray of hope in
the middle of the mist.

Response:
Maui island’s unprecedented conflagration is one of the worst wildfires in the United States in
over a century. The causes of the blaze are Hawaii's unpredictable weather and the climate
change rapidly in recent years. The consequence is a loss not only of their property but also of
their family or loved ones.

From my point of view, the most logical reason for the mistaken number of victims is the
misunderstanding between corpse bags, since when the fire broke out, individuals raced together
and huddled together that when they died people collected them incorrectly confusing the initial
evaluation. So reuniting fire victims with their families involves more than just forensic DNA
analysis and testing. Anthropologists are aiding, and officials gather information from dental
work and medical devices such as pacemakers when possible. This combination brought success
as the causalities were significantly reduced. I think countries around the world, especially Viet
Nam can take this as a role model, which we can learn and use different kinds of technologies or
fields to help identify and return the unfortunate people as whole from the fire.

Overall, my own opinion is that mistakes in the initial findings are unavoidable, especially when
the fire spreads and individuals embrace each other, leading one bag to hold up two bodies or
vice versa, but thanks to professional efforts and technology, which make the number clarity.
After the disaster, the region faces a long recovery period, including an arduous hazardous waste
removal process by the US Environmental Protection Agency. Furthermore, the government
should provide aid more quickly as well as help residents who are having difficulty in finding
long-term housing in order to recover the loss also the economy of Hawaii as soon as possible.

Credibility assessment:
This article is accurate and convincing. There are data and referrals to other resources.
Furthermore, the authors develop detailed hypotheses about the statistics and assess the reasons
and solutions that have been implemented to dramatically minimize the number of casualties in
wildfires based on extensive study and data from various sources to support their conclusion,
also for readers to understand the article clearly.

Vocabulary:
1. Blaze - More than 50 firefighters fought to bring the blaze under control.
2. Forensics - We investigated the potential application of this biological phenomenon
in the field of forensics.
3. Evaluation - The discussion includes a critical evaluation of the documentary
sources.