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, the Maui County said in a statement late on Wednesday.
Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off, with only one highway open and thousands to evacuate as officials told of widespread devastation to Lahaina, its harbor and surrounding areas.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said late on Wednesday that the National Weather Service has canceled the “Red Flag Warning” and “High Wind Advisory” for all Hawaiian islands.
Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them, according to a Maui County press release.
Evacuation efforts were complicated by power outages and disruption to cell phone service, as communication with the west side of Maui was only available via satellite, Lieutenant Governor Luke said.
The situation in Hawaii recalled scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe, and western Canada suffered unusually severe fires.
The White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered “all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response.”
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Multiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off, with only one highway open and thousands to evacuate as officials told of widespread devastation to Lahaina, its harbor and surrounding areas.
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said late on Wednesday that the National Weather Service has canceled the “Red Flag Warning” and “High Wind Advisory” for all Hawaiian islands.
Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them, according to a Maui County press release.
Evacuation efforts were complicated by power outages and disruption to cell phone service, as communication with the west side of Maui was only available via satellite, Lieutenant Governor Luke said.
The situation in Hawaii recalled scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal and other parts of Europe, and western Canada suffered unusually severe fires.
The White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered “all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response.”
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