AP Exclusive: 911 calls from deadly Lahaina wildfire reveal terror and panic in the rush to escape

FILE - The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. Communities still reeling from climate-fueled storms and other natural disasters, from the wildfires in Maui to severe flooding in New England, fear a federal government shutdown will delay needed disaster relief.

The dispatchers often showed compassion, working to soothe residents and telling them to do whatever they needed to do to be safe. As circumstances changed, some callers were told to stay in their cars, others to run for their lives or to try to make their way to the ocean. The pleas for help came one after another, people calling because they were stuck in cars, trapped by fallen trees and power lines, or worried about loved ones who were home alone. Again and again, overwhelmed dispatchers apologized but said there was no one available to send to their location.

Authorities redacted names and addresses from the recordings to avoid releasing personally identifying information. For many of the recordings, it was not clear whether the callers made it to safety. “He would literally have to be carried out,” she told the dispatcher. “I just had to leave him because I had the rest of my family in the car.”

As the disaster in Lahaina progressed, frustrations increased. One dispatcher briefly chastised a man when he called at 4:56 p.m. to report his older adult parents were stuck in their burning home. “Reliving the tragedy causes unimaginable pain and grief for survivors, their families and the families of loved ones lost that chaotic and heartbreaking day,” Martin wrote in an email.

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