The executive director of a Lahaina senior-housing complex where at least one resident died in last week’s wildfire says most other tenants and all staff are safe. Some residents remain missing.

Buddy Jantoc, 79, a musician who lived at Hale Mahaolu Eono, a 35-unit kupuna complex destroyed in the fire, was among the first of Maui’s fatalities to be identified by authorities.

“We are deeply saddened by reports of the passing of one of our tenants in the recent wildfires in Maui,” Grant Chun, Hale Mahaolu executive director, said in a news release today. “Our thoughts and condolences are with their family and loved ones.”

Hale Mahaolu, a private nonprofit corporation, continues to try to locate Lahaina tenants with whom it has been unable to make contact, the release said. Hale Mahaolu staff have not been allowed to enter Lahaina, it said.

“We have been in contact with most tenants, and our staff continues to work tirelessly to connect with remaining tenants,” Chun said.

Hale Mahaolu Eono, an independent-living apartment complex for people 62 and older on Lahainaluna Road, was destroyed in the fire. It is owned and managed by Hale Mahaolu, which awaits information from Maui County “about the status of three additional projects, Lahaina Surf, as well as two county-owned housing projects it manages, Komohana Hale and Crossroads. They are also believed to be heavily damaged or destroyed,” the news release said.

Hale Mahaolu Eono was not an assisted living or skilled nursing facility. Residents lived independently without reporting their whereabouts to staff.

Family members of missing tenants have expressed frustration about a lack of information from Hale Mahaolu, which also did not return calls from the Honolulu Star-Advertiser to its main office in Kahului.

“We are deeply sympathetic to families who have not been able to contact their loved ones. Unfortunately, the information we can share about our individual tenants is very limited. We do this to maintain their privacy and also to prevent unscrupulous people from using this disaster to make false claims for disaster relief or engage in identity theft,” Chun said.

The news release said Hale Mahaolu has been trying to contact tenants by telephone but has had trouble in some cases due to gaps in phone service due to the fire.

Any tenants of Hale Mahaolu Eono, Lahaina Surf, Komohana Hale and Crossroads who have not already done so are asked to call Hale Mahaolu’s main office at 808-872-4100. “Hale Mahaolu staff are standing by to help in providing assistance, information and resources to those impacted,” the news release said.