Horrific images taken at dawn today show the extent of damage in Lahaina, the Maui town completely burned by a relentless wildfire on Tuesday.
As a result of the fire, which remains a mystery to many residents, 36 people were killed, dozens injured and hundreds are still missing.
Local officials still don’t know the exact origin of the fire. It spread quickly and violently because it was fanned by the strong winds from passing Hurricane Dora.
Those gusts, coupled with dry Maui conditions and low humidity, spelled disaster for residents, many of whom escaped by seconds.
As they begin to assess the damage, many are still searching for their loved ones after two days of terror.
“We woke up and grabbed our phones to see pictures of our house down to the ceiling.” “Nothing but smoke and ash,” said a stunned local.
An aerial view shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground around the harbor and Front Street in the historic town of Lahaina after the western Maui wildfires in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 10, 2023
Debris from a wildfire is shown on Thursday, August 10, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. The search for the devastating debris on the Hawaiian island of Maui
Debris from a wildfire is shown on Thursday, August 10, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. Searching for debris from a wildfire on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday
Officials said earlier Wednesday that 271 buildings were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people injured.
“We’re still on life support mode.” “Search and rescue is still a primary concern,” Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday.
He said search and rescue teams will still not be able to access certain areas until fire lines are secured and they are confident they can reach those areas safely.
“What we have here is a natural disaster,” Weintraub said. “There may have been issues that needed to be checked to see if it was being handled properly.”
“But we still have people at risk.” We still have people who don’t have homes. “We still have people who can’t find their loved ones.”
Hundreds are still missing in Lahaina, where the fires were worst.
Desperate relatives share a Google Doc to update each other on the whereabouts of their loved ones.
President Biden has declared a large-scale disaster in the state of Hawaii to release emergency funds to local officials.
Debris from a wildfire is shown on Thursday, August 10, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. Searches for the debris from the devastating fires on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday uncovered a wasteland of burned homes and devastated communities as firefighters battled the persistent blaze that made it the deadliest blaze in the United States in years
An aerial view of Lahaina after wildfires burned the town on the Hawaiian island of Maui on August 10, 2023. At least 36 people died after a rapidly advancing wildfire reduced Lahaina to ash, officials said Aug. 9, as requested by visitors. Leaving the island of Maui, we were stuck at the airport
An aerial view shows the historic Banyan Tree along with destroyed homes, boats and buildings burned to the ground in the historic town of Lahaina following wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii August 10, 2023
Family members have been urged to contact the Red Cross and local hospitals to determine the whereabouts of their loved ones after communication lines were cut due to the extent of the destruction from the fire.
State officials are working with hotels and airlines to try to evacuate thousands of tourists to another island.
The Hawaii Department of Transportation confirmed that Maui’s Kahului Airport is open and thousands are stranded there trying to flee the island.
When the fires reached the coast, desperate locals jumped into the harbor water on Tuesday night to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats.
Gov. Josh Green, who was traveling with his family, woke up today as distraught Lahaina residents woke up to photos and video of their completely destroyed homes.
Another escaped with his wife, children and dog and fell asleep in a Whole Foods parking lot before waking to the news that their home had been destroyed.
“We arrived on this side of the island at midnight last night. We slept in a parking lot at Whole Foods with my wife and dog. We woke up and called out pictures from our house to the ceiling on our phones. Nothing but smoke and ash. We have the clothes we put on, a dog and two children. And here we are,” he told NBC News.
A local told reporters on Wednesday, “There are still dead bodies floating on the seawall.” They have been sitting there since last night. “Since last night we’ve been pulling people out and trying to save lives.”