The FBI search is expected to be the final mission in the multipronged effort to try and account for any remaining victims of the fire, to provide their families some closure. PHOTO COURTESY OF DLNR.

LAHAINA — On Tuesday, Aug. 29, aboard the Kai ‘Aiki, a boat operated by the state DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE), a trio from the FBI’s Underwater Search and Evidence Response Team (USERT) began probing waters off-shore from Lahaina.

The team is using specialized equipment to pick up any belongings or identifiable items to assist in the continuing effort to identify people who remain unaccounted for, from the Aug. 8 fire that leveled most of the town.

Simultaneously, expert divers from the U.S. Navy were concluding their two-day long mission, and late last week, snorkelers from the Maui Fire Department (MFD) finished searching along the coastline from Puamana Beach Park to Wahikuli Wayside Park.

A team of DOCARE officers also supported the MFD operation by providing the Kai ‘Akiki to carry personnel and equipment and to serve as a resting platform for searchers.

DOCARE Chief Jason Redulla said, “In a crisis, like the Lahaina tragedy, it truly is an all-hands-on-deck effort. Just as various federal agencies are helping, and in some cases leading the recovery tasks in Lahaina, we will step up to provide whatever resources we can muster to complete a successful operation.”

“The FBI remains committed in providing our resources and expertise to bring closure to affected families of the Lahaina fire. USERT is comprised of highly trained FBI special agents tasked with searching for and recovering evidence underwater as the FBI continues to assist our law enforcement partners,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Steven Merrill.

“We want the public to know that our federal, state and local partners are doing their due diligence in leaving no stone unturned by seeing if USERT might be able to recover items and return them to the rightful owners.”