'The most dense and consolidated damage I've seen': A WA firefighter's dispatches from Maui

As western Maui begins to heal after deadly wildfires, first responders are searching destroyed homes, assisting displaced people, and distributing supplies.

Personnel from Washington state are on the ground for that effort.

Todd Magliocca is a Tacoma Fire battalion chief and the task force leader for Washington Task Force 1.

He's one of various Washington first responders who have been deployed to Maui.

“Looking at the personnel in my window frame right now, we’ve got people from Seattle Fire, Tacoma Fire, West Pierce Fire, Central Pierce Fire," Magliocca said. "Pierce County Sheriff, Seattle PD, doctors from all of our surrounding hospitals — we've got paramedics from all of our surrounding fire departments."

The first part of the team arrived on Aug. 10, the morning after their alert order was sent out. Currently, his team is based in Lahaina, where he said they're operating very close to the center of the devastation area.

Magliocca said they've been tasked with searching every address in the burn area for potential human remains.

"We do not want to not find something or someone and leave something behind," he said. "But the devastation here — I've been to a few of these before, either on the east side of the mountains in California or in Oregon wildfires — we had our team, and this is probably the most dense and consolidated damage I've seen in my career."

There are safety concerns due to the damage caused by the wildfires — dripping pipes, and older structures burning released particulates into the air, such as asbestos. To protect themselves, Magliocca's team is wearing full protective equipment, including a respirator, long sleeves, and eye protection. Magliocca said that often makes long days feel even longer.

The work can take a mental toll on first responders, he added. But there are resources in place to help.

"We talked about peer support: having your buddy and actually taking care of yourself," he said. "FEMA has also got their critical incident stress team that's checking in on us. So while we're never immune to that exposure, or the impact of that, we're trying to put that in the forefront, taking breaks, making sure everybody is taking care of themselves."

Magliocca said it's important to emphasize that his team is here as support, and that it's Maui's first responders who are taking the lead.

Many of them, he said, grew up in Lahaina. They know the neighborhood and customs in a way the task force does not.

"We're there to back them up. We're here for them," Magliocca said.

Soundside also spoke to locals who are raising funds and supplies for Maui. You can find that piece, and more information on how to donate, here.

Listen to the full Soundside interview by clicking "play" on the audio above.