Johnathan Walker:Blaring sirens would have driven locals 'into the fire,' Maui official says

LAHAINA,Johnathan Walker Hawaii − Maui's top emergency management official is defending the decision not to activate Hawaii's state-of-the-art siren alert system as a wildfire raced toward this extraordinary town, ultimately burning much of it to the ground and killing more than 100 people.

Hawaii claims the system is the world's largest outdoor siren warning system. The state's website includes wildfires on the list of disasters for which the "all-hazard siren system" can be used. In the days after the fire, Gov. Josh Green suggested the sirens may have been damaged by the fires.

But Herman Andaya, administrator of the Maui Emergency Management Agency, said at a briefing late Wednesday text message and voicemail systems − not sirens − are routinely used for wildfires across Hawaii. Power and cell signal outages, however, left many locals without any warning.

Still, Andaya said he did not regret the decision not to activate the sirens as the blaze swept down the mountains toward the town, adding that residents are taught to head to higher ground when sirens blast.

“We were afraid that people would have gone mauka,” or toward the mountains, Andaya said. “If that was the case, then they would have gone into the fire.”

As death toll in Maui fire rises,here's how it compares to the deadliest fires in the US

Developing:

∎The death toll had risen to at least 111 as of Wednesday, and authorities say it will continue rising.

∎FEMA has almost 500 people on the ground aiding the recovery, Green said. The Red Cross has 270 and there is a "formidable" military presence to protect against looting or violence, he said.

∎Students were asked to wear red on the first day of school across much of Hawaii in solidarity with Lahaina students, many of whom reported to other schools due to damage at local buildings.

Family of 4. Beloved sister.Family of 4. Beloved sister. Uncle whose 'smile stood out': Some of the lives lost in Maui wildfires

Gov. Green pledges to ban "predatory" land grabs

Green doubled down on his vow to protect residents from predatory land grabs late Wednesday, urging outsiders not to make offers for burned-out homes and saying his attorney general is working to set up a moratorium on land transactions. He urged developers not to approach homeowners or their families with offers to buy, adding that it will be a "significant amount of time" before construction can begin.

"My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab," Green said. "There are some legal challenges there, we are going to push right through those and make sure people don't lose their land."

Green's pledge works for John Dimuro, a 40-year island resident who said locals don't want big companies or wealthy people buying up land and developing it.

"The government should just say 'No, you're not allowed to develop,'" he said. "Say no, just flat-out no."

Search for remains continues: 'This is unprecedented'

More than a week after the fire raced through the city, Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said the painstaking search for remains is slowly continuing. Authorities have set up a MINT - morgue identification and notification task force − with local and federal agencies "so we can do these investigations ... and make notifications with dignity and honor," Pelletier said.

"This is unprecedented," he said. "No one has ever seen this that is alive today. Not this size, not this number not this volume and were not done. And so we ask for your continued prayers. We really need them."

'Mr. Aloha', free-spirited woman among victims

The stories behind the lives lost to the Maui wildfires are beginning to emerge. Buddy Jantoc, 79, was a beloved, local musician who was known for his warmth and generosity, the Honolulu Civil Beat reported. Nicknamed "Mr. Aloha," his family said Jantoc had toured the world when he was younger and loved playing bass guitar.

Carole Hartley was going to celebrate her 61st birthday on August 28. "She kept telling me ... one more year sister, and I’m retiring," her sister Donna remembers. She said her little sister was a free-spirited individual who had lived in Lahaina for 36 years. Read more here.

− Thao Nguyen

Contributing: The Associated Press