At least 36 people have been killed and several thousand were forced to flee as wind-fuelled wildfires devastated much of the resort town of Lahaina on Hawaii’s Maui island, in what residents described as an “apocalypse”.
The deaths reported on Thursday make the blazes one of the most deadly wildfire incidents in the United States in recent years.
“As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire,” the Maui county government said in a statement.
Officials warned that the death toll could rise, with the fires still burning and teams spreading out to search devastated areas.
The fires began early on Tuesday, putting more than 35,000 people on Maui – as well as homes, businesses and utilities – at risk, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
The fast-moving flames, fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, sent desperate residents jumping into the ocean to escape.
A video posted on social media showed blazes tearing through the heart of Lahaina, a beachfront town of about 12,000 residents that is popular with tourists, and sending up huge plumes of black smoke.
“We barely made it out,” Lahaina resident Kamuela Kawaakoa told The Associated Press news agency.
Source: Aljazeera.com
