Federal investigators dispatched to Maui to find origin, cause of deadly wildfire

Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Federal investigators have been dispatched to Maui to find the cause of an ongoing wildfire that has devastated the historic town of Lahaina.

The five-member National Response Team of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were expected to arrive in Maui on Thursday, the federal agency said.

The dispatched team consists of an electrical engineer from the ATF Fire Research Laboratory, two Certified Fire Investigators, a CFI candidate and an arson and explosives group supervisor from the ATF's Seattle Field Division.

"We hope the deployment of National Response Team resources will allow the residents of Maui, and the state and nation as a whole, to know that we will do everything in our power to support our local counterparts in determining the origin and cause of the wildfires there, and hopefully bring some healing to the community," ATF Seattle Field Division Special Agent in Charge Jonathan McPherson said in a statement.

The wildfire erupted Aug. 8, and has resulted in a confirmed death toll of 111, though officials have repeatedly warned that the figure is expected to increase with hundreds still missing and only 45% of the territory searched.

The county of Maui said the Lahaina fire was 89% contained as of Thursday morning and has burned an estimated 2,170 acres.

The team was dispatched as Maui officials citing power monitoring company Whisker Labs point to damaged power lines as potentially the cause of the fire.

Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya also resigned Thursday citing health reasons, as he came under scrutiny over reports that emergency sirens were not activated during the fire and that island fire hydrants had ran dry.