Hawaii fires: Ariel views show destruction of Lahaina
At least 36 people have died in Hawaii as wildfires cause widespread devastation, authorities have confirmed.
Wildfires whipped by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south, took the island of Maui by surprise, leaving behind burned-out cars on once busy streets and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood. Flames roared throughout the night, forcing adults and children to dive into the ocean for safety.
Maui County Officials confirmed three dozen people are known to have lost their lives, with dozens more injured and 271 structures were damaged or destroyed.
Crews were continuing to battle blazes in several places on the island yesterday. Authorities urged visitors to stay away.
Lahaina residents Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso described a harrowing escape from under smoke-filled skies Tuesday afternoon. The couple and their 6-year-old son grabbed a change of clothes and ran as the bushes around them caught fire.
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Speaking at an evacuation shelter yesterday, still unsure if anything was left of their apartment, Mr Kawaakoa said: “We barely made it out in time.”
As Mr Kawaakoa and Ms Yasso fled, a senior centre erupted in flames. They called 911, but didn’t know if the people got out. Fire alarms blared. As they drove away, downed utility poles and fleeing cars slowed their progress.
Mr Kawaakoa, 34, grew up in the apartment building, called Lahaina Surf, where his dad and grandmother also lived. Lahaina Town dates back to the 1700s and has long been a favourite destination for tourists.
He added: “It was so hard to sit there and just watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything. I was helpless.”
The fires were the latest in a series of problems caused by extreme weather around the globe this summer.
Experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of such events.
As winds eased somewhat on Maui, some flights resumed Wednesday, allowing pilots to view the full scope of the devastation. Aerial video from Lahaina showed dozens of homes and businesses razed, including on Front Street, where tourists once gathered to shop and dine. Smoking heaps of rubble lay piled high next to the waterfront, boats in the harbor were scorched, and grey smoke hovered over the leafless skeletons of charred trees.
Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot for a tour company, said: “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.”
State Department of Education Superintendent Keith Hayashi said a team is working on contingency plans and preparing for the possible loss of an elementary school that had been in Lahaina for more than a century.
He explained: “Unofficial aerial photos show the King Kamehameha III Elementary campus – on Front Street in Lahaina – sustained extensive fire and structural damage,.
“The Department is striving to maintain regular school schedules to provide a sense of normalcy but will keep most Maui schools closed for the remainder of this week.”
The Coast Guard said it rescued 14 people who jumped into the water to escape flames and smoke, including two children.
Among those injured were three people with critical burns who were flown to Straub Medical Center’s burn unit on the island of Oahu, officials said. At least 20 patients were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, officials said, and a firefighter was hospitalised in stable condition after inhaling smoke.
Richard Bissen Jr, the mayor of Maui County, said at a Wednesday morning news conference that he did not have details on how or where on the island the six deaths occurred.
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He said officials had not yet begun investigating the immediate cause of the fires, but officials did point to the combination of dry conditions, low humidity and high winds.
More than 2,100 people spent Tuesday night in evacuation centres. Another 2,000 travellers sheltered at Kahului Airport after many flights were canceled. Officials were preparing the Hawaii Convention Centre in Honolulu to take in thousands of displaced tourists and locals.
Mauro Farinelli, of Lahaina, said the winds had started blowing hard on Tuesday, and then somehow a fire had started up on a hillside.
Describing the effect as “like a blowtorch”, he added: “It just ripped through everything with amazing speed.”
The winds were so strong they blew his garage door off its hinges and trapped his car in the garage, Farinelli said. So a friend drove him, along with his wife Judit and dog Susi, to an evacuation shelter. He had no idea what had happened to their home.
He continued: “We’re hoping for the best but we’re pretty sure it’s gone.”
President Joe Biden said he’d ordered all available federal assets to help with the response. He said the Hawaii National Guard had mobilised Chinook helicopters to help with fire suppression as well as search and rescue efforts on Maui.
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Mr Biden said: “Our prayers are with those who have seen their homes, businesses, and communities destroyed.”
Former President Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii, said on social media that it’s tough to see some of the images coming out of a place that is so special to many.
Alan Dickar, who owns a poster gallery and three houses in Lahaina, said tourists who come to Maui all tend to visit Front Street.
He said: “The central two blocks is the economic heart of this island, and I don’t know what’s left.”
Mr Dickar took video of flames engulfing the main strip before escaping with three friends and two cats.
He added: “Every significant thing I owned burned down today. I’ll be OK. I got out safely.”
Wildfires were also burning on Hawaii’s Big Island, Mayor Mitch Roth said, although there had been no reports of injuries or destroyed homes there. Roth said firefighters had needed to extinguish some roof fires and there were continuing flareups of one fire near the Mauna Kea Resorts.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain, was partly to blame for the strong winds.
About 14,500 customers in Maui were without power early Wednesday. With cell service and phone lines down in some areas, many people were struggling to check in with friends and family members living near the wildfires. Some were posting messages on social media.
Tiare Lawrence was frantically trying to reach her siblings who live near where a gas station exploded in Lahaina.
She said: “There’s no service so we can’t get ahold of anyone.”
Acting Governor Sylvia Luke said the flames had wiped out communities and urged travellers to stay away, saying: “This is not a safe place to be.”
Luke issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Governor Josh Green, who was travelling. Mr Green’s office said he had cut short his trip and was returning yesterday evening.
Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the US West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires. A major fire on the Big Island in 2021 burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate.
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