As the deadliest US wildfires in a century decimated Maui, the emergency officials responsible for responding to it were all on another island — learning how to deal with exactly such a disaster, it emerged Wednesday.

The heads of the Maui and Hawaii emergency management agencies were at an annual conference on Oahu on Aug. 8, the day the fires started leveling Lahaina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed to HawaiiNewsNow (HNN).

Key federal officials were also at FEMA’s annual disaster meeting when one of the worst disasters in recent US history started raging on the other island, the outlet said.

[That could have been useful for coordinating the emergency action, having everyone in one spot. Apparently, though, it didn’t lead to a better response. Instead, it was just ironic. — Ed]