The wildfire that killed at least 102 people on Maui last year erupted from an earlier brushfire that firefighters believed they had extinguished, officials said Wednesday as they presented their findings on the cause.

Firefighters stayed at the blaze for more than five hours – and couldn't have predicted the deadly rekindling that afternoon, Fire Chief Brad Ventura said.

The blaze spread as chaos overtook the historic town of Lahaina, sending some residents fleeing into the ocean and trapping others in their vehicles.