At least 111 people have died as a result of the fast-moving Maui wildfires that caused widespread destruction in the town of Lahaina.
As search efforts are underway, many have criticised Maui officials for not sounding alarms that would have indicated to residents there was an imminent threat.
However, Maui County Emergency Management Agency administrator Herman Andaya said he does not regret not sounding the sirens because they may not have saved lives.
“Had we sounded the siren that night, we were afraid that people would have gone mauka (to the mountainside),” Mr Andaya said in a press conference on Wednesday
Mr Andaya said the sirens are typically used in the event of a tsunami and the public is trained to seek higher ground when they are sounded.
“And if that’s the case, then they would have gone into the fire.”
The official cause of the fires is still yet to be determined but security footage of a tree falling on a power line at a Maui bird sanctuary is being investigated as a possible trigger. Others point to the role of downed power lines elsewhere on the island and flammable grasses.