36 DEAD, THOUSANDS EVACUATED AS WILDFIRES RAVAGE HAWAII ISLAND OF MAUI

Thu 10 August 2023:

Rapidly spreading wildfires have claimed the lives of at least 36 people on the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials say.

Strong winds from a far-off hurricane fueled the fires in the city of Lahaina, the island’s primary tourist attraction, resulting in the fatalities.

At least 36 killed as wildfires tear through Maui island in Hawaii

The fires have been fanned by strong winds from a distant hurricane, destroying hundreds of buildings and burning some areas to the ground. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes. pic.twitter.com/4XdmWtuIQi

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 10, 2023

The flames is one of numerous on-going fires that have completely destroyed entire neighborhoods.

A state of emergency has been issued, forcing thousands of people to leave their homes.

Much of the western Maui community of Lahaina, where about 12,000 people live, is destroyed and hundreds of families there have been displaced, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green said.

More than 270 structures have been impacted in Lahaina, county officials said. In addition to the homes and businesses that were wiped out, the toll on historical and cultural sites in Lahaina has been devastating,

“We barely made it out in time,” Kamuela Kawaakoa, who fled to an evacuation shelter on Tuesday with his partner and six-year-old son, told the Associated Press.

“It was so hard to sit there and just watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything,” he said. “I was helpless.”

At least 36 people have died after wildfires, fanned by winds from a faraway hurricane, devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii's Maui island. pic.twitter.com/fPfuyxZmmg

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 10, 2023

Five evacuation shelters have been opened on Maui and officials earlier said they were “overrun” with people. The island is a popular tourist destination and visitors have been urged to stay away.

“This is not a safe place to be,” Hawaii Lt Governor Sylvia Luke told reporters. “We have resources that are being taxed.”

Firefighters are still battling active fires, with helicopters dropping water on the blazes from above.

Officials have been using satellite phones to communicate with providers on the west side of Maui to restore power to the area, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said. Emergency and evacuation response efforts have been hampered by widespread cell service outages, which have prevented people from calling 911 or updating loved ones about their status, according to authorities.

At least 36 killed as wildfires tear through Maui island in Hawaii pic.twitter.com/uO98Nv63FE

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 10, 2023

More than 11,000 customers on Maui were without power as of 11 p.m. Wednesday local time (5 a.m. ET Thursday), according to PowerOutage.us, accounting for about 15% of the island’s customers. Power crews are working to repair downed lines and additional crews are being deployed from Oahu, Hawaiian Electric said in a news release.

Lahaina Resort on the island of Maui before the fires and after. Satellite images published by Maxar.#Hawaiifire pic.twitter.com/FniTWyJcy0

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 10, 2023

More than 2,100 people were in four emergency shelters in Maui on Tuesday night, the mayor’s office said. While there’s enough shelter for an emergency response for a few days, “there’s not enough shelter for long term living,” the governor told media.

Global warming increases the possibility of hot, dry weather that fuels wildfires.

The world has already warmed by around 1.2 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the industrial age, and temperatures will continue to rise unless governments around the world drastically reduce emissions.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

______________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent