Shocking before and after pictures show the devastation caused by the raging wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where at least 36 people have died.
All of the victims were in Lahaina, the “decimated” city where about 271 buildings were destroyed by the fire that ravaged 800 acres of land and was fanned by strong winds.
Street after street has been reduced to rubble in the coastal city, a once bustling hub of 12,000 people that drew tourists from all over the world.
Aerial footage shows the extent of scorched earth on Maui, while ground-level images and video illustrate the human tragedy of lost homes, businesses and lives.
Horrific scenes of burnt-out buildings and charred trees were described by a local resident as “like a war zone”, while disturbing images of gnarled, abandoned cars show people frantically trying to escape the flames.
Aerial footage shows burnt homes and trees along the shoreline of south Lahaina, Maui
Front Street leads up to the seawall, which usually offers tourists stunning views of the crystal blue sea
Harrowing footage taken near the seawall as the fires raged shows an elderly man slumped in a chair in exhaustion, just fleeing the inferno
Pictures taken over Lahania show that the once beautiful tourist center has been destroyed by the fires
Pretty, colorful restaurants and shops selling surf gear and clothing were destroyed as fires swept across the city
The hall of the historic Waiola Church along Wainee Street before the fires broke out. Today it is assumed that the entire area was destroyed
The hall of Lahaina’s historic Waiola Church and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission along Wainee Street are on fire
Front Street, normally a popular shopping district, was engulfed in an inferno as terrified locals, including children, looked on.
Pretty, colorful restaurants and shops selling surf gear and clothing were destroyed as fires swept across the city.
The road leads up to the seawall, which usually offers tourists stunning views of the crystal blue sea.
Tragically, the once-beautiful landscape has now been blackened, and images can be seen of smoke billowing over ruined buildings on the beach.
Harrowing footage taken near the seawall as the fires raged shows an elderly man slumped in a chair in exhaustion, just fleeing the inferno.
The horror of local residents’ desperate flight from the fires is also evident from the numerous charred cars on the front line, likely used by those fleeing the fires.
The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission also caught fire.
“It’s gone, the common room, the sanctuary, the annexe, everything,” the church’s longtime lay minister told USA TODAY. “It’s completely unimaginable.”
The church has been the center of the community for exactly 200 years and celebrated its anniversary just three months ago.
Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, 2023, left, and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9
Satellite imagery provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Lahaina Square in Maui, Hawaii on June 25 (left) and an overview of the same area on August 9
Democratic Hawaii Senator Brian Schatz warned that Lahaina was “almost completely burned down,” while one local resident described the city as “like a war zone.”
Another witness said the scene was “complete devastation… It’s no exaggeration to say that Lahaina is off the map.”
At a news conference, Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said she flew over Lahaina, a city of 12,000, to see the damage with her own eyes.
‘[It] “It was just so shocking and devastating… The whole city was devastated, the whole city was decimated,” she said.
A longtime Maui resident who filmed the scenes of the devastation in Lahaina said he would not share some footage because it was too graphic. Emerson Timmins told local news outlet KHON2 News: “There were abandoned cars on the road, I assume those people couldn’t get out in time.”
“Probably they made their way to the sea, those who could make it, and people left their homes.”
This combination of satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Banyan Court in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii on June 25 (above) and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9
“If a young person can hardly get out with their family, then the elderly are trapped, the disabled.”
“It’s terrifying to think of all these families losing loved ones and their homes.”
Around 2,000 tourists are currently in shelters near the island’s airport.
All of West Maui remains without power due to the wildfires and has no landline or cellphone service.