Explosive wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have killed dozens of people, displaced thousands, and reduced much of the vibrant, centuries-old town of Lahaina to ash.
Brush fires earlier this week were stoked by strong, dry winds and quickly spread into populated areas. The speed and strength of the blazes took local officials by surprise. “We’ve never experienced a wildfire that affected a city like this before,” said Josh Green (the governor) during a Thursday news conference.
The first major fires appeared to have started just after midnight on Tuesday. The blazes ballooned and by late morning had spread to Lahaina. Winds brought by Hurricane Dora, a category 4 storm building over the Pacific Ocean, helped the fire zip across coastal Lahaina with alarming speed. The fire spread so quickly some residents ran into the ocean to escape – the Coast Guard has rescued more than a dozen people from the water.
By Wednesday morning, the historic town had essentially been razed to the ground.
The death toll stood at 96 on Sunday, but that number is likely to rise. Specialized search and rescue teams from California have joined the efforts to find survivors and identify fatalities.
“Understand this: Lahaina Town is hallowed, sacred ground right now because our iwi are in that ground,” said the Maui police chief, John Pelletier, at an afternoon news conference, referring to remains. “We have to get them out. We will get them out as fast as we can.” (Iwi refers to the deceased.)
Lahaina, which was established in the 1700s and was once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, has been decimated. Leafy streets lined with art galleries and shops have been singed beyond recognition. At least 2,200 buildings, including homes, schools and places of worship, have been destroyed or damaged in the fires, officials said.
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