Posted on 08/26/2023 12:53:16 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Shocking footage out of Maui shows a police vehicle presumably on its way to block residents of Lahaina, Hawaii, from escaping as deadly wildfires raged.
Shocking footage out of Maui shows a police vehicle presumably on its way to block residents of Lahaina, Hawaii, from escaping as deadly wildfires raged.
The video appears to have been shot by a resident stuck in a line of cars on a highway as high winds impacted the region shortly before fires tore through and destroyed the town.
“Good luck,” the driver of a car stuck in a line of vehicles said as he filmed a police squad car passing him.
“Look at this. Holy ****. This is a nightmare,” the man noted, going on to add, “I don’t know where he’s going. Probably to block our street.”
“They’re going to ******* barbecue all these people down in Lahaina,” the man ominously predicted.
“We’re all trapped down in here,” he continued. “They’re blocking off all exits and everyone is just stuck going in a circle in a fire pit.”
The video corroborates claims last week from a Maui native known as “Fish” who said he personally witnessed police on the island preventing people from evacuating.
“So I went around back to Front Street and all the cars were lined up but none of them were moving,” Fish described in an interview. “And I walked all the way from Safeway to the Chart House – not one car has moved, and I was wondering what was stopping the traffic. Well, it was a policeman. And I got to the end and I looked up north. There were no obstructions. There was no reason to keep those cars there.”
“Are you serious?” asked a man conducting the interview.
“I’m serious as a heart attack,” Fish confirmed. “And I said, ‘What are you doing?’ he goes, ‘Well, I’m under orders to keep them here.’ And I said, ‘The fire is right around Safeway. It’s gonna hit Front Street. You know? These people gotta get outta here!’ And he’s like, ‘I’m following orders.’”
Another witness also recounted how he defied roadblocks and escaped to safety after being directed by police from a major highway onto Front Street, only to find the road was already blocked off by law enforcement.
The startling video comes as the Associated Press reported Wednesday that numerous Lahaina residents burned to death inside their vehicles due to barriers erected to prevent their escape, while those who disobeyed police roadblocks survived the blaze.
“The report contains shocking details revealing that people were turned back by a crew as they attempted to flee, with several being burned alive in their cars or in the middle of the street as a result,” reports Summit News’ Steve Watson.
The reports confirming police were blocking people from trying to leave follow news FEMA and top Maui emergency response officials were holding a disaster preparedness meeting in Oahu, Hawaii, at the same time the blazes broke out.
Tho it’s hard to get one’s head around such passivity, thank you for the experienced local insight.
Maui Lahaina Wild Fire Escape
Jonathan Herzog
Aug. 11, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-KYfmH6_kw
The whole Maui situation is beyond incompetence and coincidental.
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