Maui Emergency Management Agency Administrator Herman Andaya submitted his resignation effective immediately, citing health reasons, Mayor Richard Bissen said Thursday afternoon.

“Given the gravity of the crisis we are facing, my team and I will be placing someone in this key position as quickly as possible and I look forward to making that announcement soon,” Bissen said in a statement.

Andaya said during a news conference Wednesday that he did not regret the decision not to sound the sirens, saying they are located mostly along the coastline and used “primarily for tsunamis.”

“The public is trained to seek higher ground in the event that the siren is sounded. … Having sounded the siren that night, we’re afraid that people would have gone mauka, and if that was the cause, then they would’ve gone into the fire,” Andaya said.

He said officials believed the most effective way of alerting people of the danger was through wireless emergency alerts via text message and the emergency alert system via TV and radio.

Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin said Thursday evening that a timeline to replace Andaya hasn’t been established.

“Mayor is taking a close look at what the agency needs are,” Martin said via text.

Maui County Council Member Tamara Paltin, who holds the West Maui residency seat and chairs the council’s Disaster, Resilience, International Affairs and Planning Committee, said she accepted Andaya’s resignation and saw it as “our opportunity to select the best” to fill the position.

“Cause with climate change and everything, this could just be the start,” Paltin said. “We’re still in an El Nino hurricane year. I’m really concerned about Sunday with the rain and all this toxic ash. And so time is of the essence. … I don’t know how many disasters we can handle, and if that toxic ash gets down to Kihei where people are living, that’s bad. If the toxic ash from Lahaina washes down into the ocean, that’s bad. So we’ve got a lot of things to address and not a lot of time.”

Paltin, who was a longtime lifeguard before running for council, said the outdoor sirens “definitely” should have been sounded on the day of the fire.

“Maybe they would’ve at least looked outside and seen all the smoke, maybe turned on their car radios and know what was going on, or see the smoke and get away from it,” Paltin said. “They’re not going to run into the smoke. That’s not common sense.”

The response to the fires, as well as the cause, continue to be under scrutiny as officials and the public comb for answers to the disaster that devastated Lahaina town, killing at least 111, destroying more than 2,000 structures and burning more than 2,000 acres.

State Attorney General Anne Lopez, who said last week that the state would be launching a review of the decision-making and policies surrounding the fires, announced Thursday that she would be bringing in “a third-party private organization with experience in emergency management” to assess the performance of state and county agencies.

“This will be an impartial, independent review,” Lopez said in a news release. “Having a third-party conduct the review will ensure accountability and transparency and reassure the people of Hawaii that all of the facts will be uncovered. The information collected will be used to assess the performance in emergency preparedness as we are constantly looking for ways to improve. We intend to look at this critical incident to facilitate any necessary corrective action and to advance future emergency preparedness.”

Gov. Josh Green said Wednesday that it is not a criminal investigation.

Meanwhile, more federal officials are joining the effort to investigate the origin and cause of the Aug. 8 fire. Members of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ National Response Team arrived from the Honolulu Field Office and the Seattle Field Division Thursday to assist Maui County fire officials and other local partners, the ATF said. Arriving team members included one electrical engineer from the ATF Fire Research Laboratory, two certified fire investigators and a certified fire investigator candidate from Honolulu, and one arson and explosives group supervisor from Seattle.

The all-out search of Lahaina town continues as families search for answers or signs of loved ones. Police said Thursday morning that 40 percent of the area had been searched. The fatality count remained unchanged at 111. Police released the names of the first five victims earlier this week and confirmed another name Thursday — 71-year-old Donna Gomes of Lahaina.

Four other individuals have been identified, but their family has not been located or notified yet. Starting today, the Family Assistance Center formerly located in Kahului will relocate to the Hyatt Regency’s Monarchy Ballroom at 200 Nohea Kai Dr. in Kaanapali, allowing West Maui families easier access to the center that is working to reunite families and taking DNA samples to help identify loved ones.

Maui County said Thursday that none of the active fires pose any threats. The 2,168-acre Lahaina fire was 90 percent contained as of Thursday evening, while the 1,081-acre Olinda fire was 85 percent contained, and the 202-acre Kula fire was 80 percent contained. County fire investigators found that the Olinda and Kula fires had “distinct origins” and began reporting their status separately on Wednesday. Hot spots in gulches, forests and other hard-to-reach places continued to make it difficult for firefighters to establish complete control lines in the Upcountry fires.

Supplies and resources continue to be available for impacted residents at:

• FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at UH-Maui from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

• Small Business Administration’s Business Recovery Center at the Maui Research Technology Center’s Building A, Suite 119, at 590 Lipoa Parkway in Kihei from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

• Supply distribution hubs at the Lahaina Gateway Center and Napili Plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• MauiNuiStrong.info which offers resources for residents and businesses impacted by the fires.

In West Maui, Paltin said she’s focused on coordinating aid with residents who are overwhelmed by outside organizations and aren’t sure who to trust. She said “one of the gems” has been Red Lightning, a company that has donated thousands of dollars and much of its own time and energy to help install emergency telephone, text and email services around West Maui.

“People are just so frustrated and just sad,” Paltin said. “Every night that’s when I cry. Most times when you’re alone, that’s when you cry, so it’s really important that we don’t let people feel alone or isolated.”

“To me that’s the first thing we gotta do is help the people,” Paltin added. “If we don’t keep our community here, our Lahaina families here, and if we don’t build them up and make them feel supported and they leave, then who are we building all these houses and things for? … Don’t do things for us without us.”

* Managing Editor Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.