Maui wildfires kill 36 after historic town torched to the ground, officials say | US | News

Maui officials have confirmed at least 36 people have died because of the devastating wildfires that have been ravaging the island for days.

Authorities also said the historic town of Lahaina has been nearly completely torched, with Senator Brian Schatz confirming on Twitter that the town was “almost totally burnt to the ground”.

Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot for a tour company, flew over the fire site on Wednesday and was shocked by a scene where it “looked like a bomb went off.”

“It’s horrifying. I’ve flown here 52 years and I’ve never seen anything come close to that. We had tears in our eyes, the other pilots on board and the mechanics and me,” he said, recalling even the boats in the harbour were burned.

“We never thought we’d experience anything like this in our whole life.”

The National Weather Service says Hurricane Dora, which is passing south of the island chain at a safe distance, was partly to blame for strong winds driving the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters.

Local emergency services have been struggling to bring the fires under control because of the winds, forcing residents to flee from their homes to escape death.

More than 2,100 people were housed overnight in four emergency shelters, the county said. Another 2,000 travellers were sheltering at the Kahului Airport.

Tourists have been urged to leave as well after the Mayor, Richard Bissen, branded the wildfires an “unprecedented” disaster for the island.

An estimated 271 buildings and structures have been destroyed and more are on track to be heavily damaged because of the fire continuing to spread.

President Joe Biden said in a statement Wednesday evening that he has ordered “all available Federal assets” to help combat the wildfires.

The president said the Coast Guard and Navy are supporting response and rescue efforts, while the Marines are providing Black Hawk helicopters to fight the fires.

The Hawaii National Guard has mobilized Chinook helicopters to help with fire suppression and search and rescue operations.

The state is now already estimating the fires will cost the state and the federal government billions of dollars to rebuild.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green has also already warned there is not enough shelter available for “long-term living”, leaving hundreds of people who already lost their homes wondering what will happen to them.

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