(WAILUKU, Hawaii) – Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island, destroying parts of a centuries-old village and killing at least 36 people in one of the deadliest wildfires in recent years in the United States.
The fire caught the island off guard, leaving burned-out automobiles on once-busy streets and burning piles of wreckage where historic buildings once stood in Lahaina Town, which dates back to the 1700s and has long been a popular tourist destination. Crews battled fires in multiple locations across the island on Wednesday, forcing several people and children to flee into the ocean.
According to a statement issued late Wednesday by Maui County, at least 36 individuals have perished, with no other details available. Officials had stated that 271 structures had been damaged or destroyed, and dozens of people had been hurt. The Camp Fire in California in 2018 killed at least 85 people and nearly destroyed the town of Paradise.
With the fires still burning and teams reaching out to explore scorched regions, officials cautioned that the death toll in Hawaii might grow.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso of Lahaina reported a terrifying escape beneath smoke-filled skies. After a short sprint to the grocery for water, the couple and their 6-year-old son returned to their flat with enough time to change clothes and flee as the bushes around them caught fire.
“We barely made it out,” Kawaakoa said at an evacuation center on Wednesday, still unclear if their flat was still intact.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
As the family escaped, a senior center across the street caught fire. They contacted 911 but had no idea if the people had escaped. Downed electricity poles and others fleeing in cars impeded their progress as they drove away. “It was so hard to just sit there and watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything,” said Kawaakoa, 34.
Tourists were urged to avoid the area while the flames raged, and approximately 11,000 people flew out of Maui on Wednesday, with at least another 1,500 scheduled to leave on Thursday, according to Ed Sniffen, state transportation director. Officials in Honolulu prepared the Hawaii Convention Centre to house thousands of displaced people.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. states that the island has “been tested like never before in our lifetime.”
“We are grieving with each other during this inconsolable time,” he added in an audio recording. “In the days ahead, we will be stronger as a’kaiaulu,’ or community, as we rebuild with resilience and aloha.”
Strong gusts from Hurricane Dora, passing far to the south, fanned the fires. It’s the latest in a string of calamities triggered by harsh weather this summer worldwide. According to experts, climate change is increasing the risk of such disasters.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
The fires in Hawaii are not like those in the Western United States. They typically start in extensive grasslands on the drier portions of the islands and are much smaller than mainland fires. In 2021, a big fire on the Big Island destroyed homes and drove people to flee. The Big Island is also experiencing fires, according to Mayor Mitch Roth. However, there have been no reports of injuries or destroyed properties.
Pilots could see the full extent of the wreckage as the winds eased on Maui on Wednesday. Aerial footage from Lahaina showed hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed, including those on Front Street, where tourists used to congregate to shop and dine. Smoking rubble mounds were piled high along the waterfront, boats in the harbor were burnt, and grey smoke lingered over the leafless carcasses of charred trees.
“It’s frightening. “I’ve been flying here for 52 years, and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Richard Olsten, a tour business helicopter pilot. “We both had tears in our eyes.”Search-and-rescue teams are dispersed throughout the destroyed areas in the hopes of locating survivors, according to Adam Weintraub, communication director for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Concerned about future casualties, Weintraub stated, “These were large and fast-moving fires, and it’s only recently that we’ve started to get our arms around them and contain them.” So, we’re praying for the best but bracing for the worse.”
Around 14,500 Maui customers were without electricity early Wednesday. Many people could not contact relatives and family living near the flames due to a lack of mobile service and phone connections in some locations. Some were using social media to send messages.
Tiare Lawrence was desperately attempting to contact her siblings, who live near the Lahaina petrol station that erupted.
“There’s no service, so we can’t reach anyone,” she explained from Pukalani, Maui.
The Hawaii State Department of Defense’s Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara told reporters Wednesday night that officials were working to restore communications, provide water, and add law enforcement troops. According to him, National Guard helicopters splashed 150,000 gallons of water on the Maui fires.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
The Coast Guard rescued 14 individuals, including two children, who plunged into the water to escape the flames and smoke.
Officials said three persons with significant burns were hospitalized and evacuated to Oahu.
At a news conference Wednesday morning, Maui County Mayor Bissen said investigators had not yet begun investigating the direct cause of the fires, but officials did point to a mix of dry conditions, low humidity, and high winds.
Mauro Farinelli of Lahaina said the winds began to blow fiercely on Tuesday, and a fire started on a hillside.
“It just ripped through everything with amazing speed,” he recalled, adding that it felt “like a blowtorch.”
Farinelli said the winds were so fierce that they blew his garage door off its hinges, trapping his car inside. So a buddy took him, his wife Judit, and their dog Susi to an evacuation shelter. He had no idea what had become of their house.
“We’re hoping for the best,” he said, “but we’re pretty sure it’s gone.”
President Joe Biden directed that all federal assets be available to respond. He stated that the Hawaii National Guard had dispatched helicopters to assist with fire suppression and search-and-rescue activities.
Thousands of Hawaii residents rushed to flee their homes on Maui as fires raged across the island.
“Our hearts go out to those who have lost their homes, businesses, and communities,” Biden said.
Governor Josh Green cut his trip short and intended to return Wednesday evening. In his absence, interim Gov. Sylvia Luke declared an emergency and advised tourists to avoid the area.
Alan Dicker, who runs a poster gallery and three properties in Lahaina, lamented the town’s and his losses.
“The central two blocks are the economic heart of this island, and I don’t know what’s left,” he explained. “Everything significant I owned burned down today.”
SOURCE – (AP)
