WAILUKU >> Maui County so far has released the names of five of the 111 officially acknowledged fatalities from last week’s wildfire that laid waste to Lahaina — all of them over the age of 70.
Melva Benjamin, 71; Virginia Dofa, 90; and Alfredo Galinato, 79, all of Lahaina, were the latest victims to be publicly identified by the Maui Police Department on Wednesday night. On Tuesday, Lahaina residents Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, were named as the first of the victims whose families were formally notified of their deaths.
Four other individuals have been identified by forensic teams with notification pending, MPD said.
Officials have warned that the death toll from the Aug. 8 Lahaina wildfire is expected to climb substantially, since as of Wednesday only 38% of the 5-square-mile disaster area had been surveyed by cadaver dogs and their handlers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Urban Search & Rescue Task Force.
Maui police reported earlier Wednesday that 35 autopsies had been completed and seven victims identified — five by fingerprints and two by DNA. State and county mortuary resources are being augmented by a Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team from the Office of Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Jantoc, a well-known musician, is at least the second resident of the Hale Mahaolu Eono independent living complex for residents age 62 and older on Lahainaluna Road likely to have perished in the wildfire, and a number of others are unaccounted for.
Based on his final text messages and the fact there has been no contact since Aug. 8, family and friends of Joe Schilling, 67, believe he died at Hale Mahaolu Eono after staying behind to help five other residents who were unable to evacuate on their own.
A verified GoFundMe page has been established to support his immediate family. Akiva Bluh, who set up the fundraiser for “Uncle Joe,” called him “caring, outgoing, funny, easygoing, joyous, and LOVING.”
Hale Mahaolu confirmed in a statement Wednesday that the 35-unit apartment complex was destroyed in the wildfire and that “all staff members and most tenants are safe, but is aware of reports of the death of one tenant.”
“We also remain deeply concerned for our tenants who have not yet been located. Since Maui County issued the notice to evacuate on Tuesday, August 8, Hale Mahaolu staff have been working diligently to contact tenants to ensure their safety,” said Grant Chun, executive director of the private nonprofit that provides affordable housing. “We have been in contact with most tenants, and our staff continues to work tirelessly to connect with remaining tenants.”
Hale Mahaolu also is waiting to learn the fate of three other projects it either owns or manages in Lahaina — the Lahaina Surf, Komohana Hale and Crossroads.
As the slow, meticulous process of identifying those killed in the Lahaina fire continues, more families are coming forward with heartbreaking news of the loss of loved ones.
Tehani Kuhaulua said her grandmother, Donna L. Gomes, 71, was caught in the Aug. 8 firestorm while trying to get to her car parked across from her home on Lahainaluna Road. Gomes, a retired MPD public safety aide at the Lahaina Police Station, was found lying in the street.
Kuhaulua said her family has been in contact with authorities and is awaiting formal notification. She said a cousin who lived with Gomes, Colleen Jones, remains unaccounted for.
Gomes was described as the “backbone” of the family and a “super stern” matriarch “who would tell you straight to your face,” said Kuhaulua, 26. “As someone in the family said, ‘Nobody could tell her what to do, not even the fires.’”
She would have celebrated her 72nd birthday Tuesday and had plans to leave Wednesday on a trip to Las Vegas.
“She loved to play poker and gamble,” her granddaughter said. “Her self-care was going to Las Vegas, any casino.”
Also lost to the wildfire was the home that had been in the family for over 100 years.
Gomes leaves behind two daughters, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A verified GoFundMe page has been established to help her ohana, many of whom also lost their homes and belongings.
A verified GoFundMe page also has been established to support the family of Carole Hartley, 60, whose remains were found Saturday on her property in Lahaina. Her relatives plan on obtaining a DNA test for final confirmation.
Three generations of another Lahaina family — Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, their daughter Salote Takafua and her 7-year-old son Tony Takafua, also are being mourned after their remains were discovered Aug. 10 in a burned-out car near their home. Family members have set up a verified GoFundMe page to help relatives impacted by the deadly fire.
Also Wednesday, the Mexican foreign ministry said it confirmed that two people of Mexican nationality died as a result of the wildfire. Personnel from the Mexican Consulate in San Francisco are on Maui and are in contact with the families of the deceased to provide assistance to them, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
No details were immediately available, including whether the victims were tourists or among the many foreign workers in Lahaina.
FINDING OHANA
Family members can provide DNA samples to assist in the identification of Lahaina wildfire victims at the Family Assistance Center, open daily from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Kahului Community Center, 275 Uhu St. The FBI is assisting with obtaining DNA samples from out-of-state family members.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
