Hawaii Wildfire Death Toll Climbs to 89

The government reaction to a terrifying wildfire that destroyed a Hawaiian hamlet and killed at least 89 people was drawing criticism on Saturday.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that over 2,200 buildings were damaged or destroyed as the fire tore through Lahaina, causing $5.5 billion in damage and displacing thousands of people.

As a congressman from the state admitted that officials had miscalculated the threat and as people claimed there had been no warnings, Hawaiian authorities announced that they were initiating an investigation into the handling of the conflagration.

Vilma Reed narrated: "The mountain behind us caught on fire and nobody told us jack."

"You know when we found that there was a fire? When it was across the street from us."

Reed, whose house was destroyed by the blaze, said they had fled the flames with what they had in their car, and were now dependent on handouts and the kindness of strangers.

"This is my home now," the 63-year-old said, gesturing to the car she has been sleeping in with her daughter, her grandson and two pet cats.

In the ashy ruins of Lahaina, Anthony Garcia told how the fire had gutted his apartment.

"It took everything, everything! It's heartbreaking," the 80-year-old said. "It's a lot to take in."

The once-proud residence of the Hawaiian royal family, with a population of over 12,000, has been reduced to ruins, with its vibrant hotels and restaurants reduced to ashes.

Despite being scorched by the fire and having lost all of its leaves, a stately banyan tree that has stood in the middle of the village for 150 years still stands straight. Its sooty trunk has been converted into an ungainly skeleton.