Pets

1,200 Pets Reported Lost After Lahaina Wildfire

At a Glance

The Maui Humane Society is helping coordinate the search for missing pets.
The organization is caring for hundreds of cats, dogs and other animals.
The deadly fire leveled the town of Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 8.

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A bulldog named Buttercup and a bunny called Coconut are among the 1,200 pets reported missing after the devastating wildfire that wiped out the town of Lahaina, Hawaii, in early August.

Their families, many of whom are still in the process of gaining access to their scorched properties, are in a desperate search to find them.

"We did have to run from the fire, and Bandit freaked out and ran out of my arms when I opened the door. I couldn't run for her," fire survivor Paula Newman, who lost her cat, told KITV.

(MORE: Veteran Firefighter Describes Search Through Ashes of Maui Fires)

The Humane Society wasn't allowed into the area until Aug. 26, about 18 days after the fire leveled Lahaina, killing at least 98 people.

"Knowing there were lost, scared, and injured animals we couldn’t get to was frustrating and heartbreaking," Lisa Labrecque, Maui Humane Society’s CEO, said in an open letter to the community on Sept. 5.

Now, the agency is working to trap and treat an estimated 500 cats living in the ruins of the burn zone.

Some of the pets listed as missing after a wildfire devastated Lahaina, Hawaii, are seen in these screen shots from the Maui Humane Society's website.

“The fire cats have suffered severe trauma and require a quiet and carefully monitored environment to recover,” Labrecque said in a news release Thursday. “It’s our priority to ensure that they have adequate veterinary care, daily enrichment, and humane housing as we wait for possible reunifications with their owners.”

(MORE: How Weather Fanned The Deadly Maui Wildfires)

The society is already caring for 431 cats, 94 dogs and 74 other animals, and has had to open an annex to house them all.

Labrecque said staff and volunteers have treated animals for smoke inhalation, dehydration, burns ranging from mild to severe and other injuries.

While cats and dogs and a few rabbits are the most common among the missing pets listed on the Maui Humane Society's website, there's also a cockatiel named Cheddar and two turtles. One of them is named Onipa'a, which in Hawaiian means "steadfast" or "determined," much like many of the Lahaina survivors.

(MORE: A Look Back At August's Tragic, Unforgettable Weather)

“Everything’s gone, but your pets are your ‘ohana. That’s all that’s important,” survivor Chris Borges told KITV, using the Hawaiian word for "family.'

Her aptly named Chihauha was found running around in a cemetery a month after Lahaina burned.

“I’m just very lucky that Lucky survived," Borges said.

“I think he stayed alive knowing how much I loved him."

An animal rescue vehicle sits amid scorched properties in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Maui Humane Society) — An animal rescue vehicle sits amid scorched properties in Lahaina, Hawaii.
(Maui Humane Society)

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Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.

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