K9 teams from Ohio Task Force 1 to deploy to Maui after wildfires

Ohio Task Force 1, based in Vandalia, was activated June 30, 2021, for the condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Credit: Jim Noelker

Credit: Jim Noelker

Ohio Task Force 1, based in Vandalia, was activated June 30, 2021, for the condominium collapse in Surfside, Florida. JIM NOELKER/STAFF

Three K9 teams from Ohio Task Force 1 are deploying to Maui, Hawaii after the wildfires on the island.

In a post to social media, the task force said that the dogs were Human Remains Detection canines, trained and certified to search for and alert for dead bodies.

The task force said the three Ohio teams would join a large number of remains detection teams from other task forces.

The three handlers and their dogs will meet at the task force’s Vandalia warehouse and headquarters Wednesday morning, with an anticipated departure around noon.

The Associated Press has reported that as of Tuesday, 99 people were confirmed killed in the wildfires, and officials from the County of Maui said in a statement that crews with cadaver dogs have searched about 32% of the area.

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