hollydolly
SF VIP
- Location
- London England
The death toll in Hawaii's devastating wildfires has jumped to 36, officials have revealed, making it one of the deadliest disasters in the state's history - as Maui firefighters continue their desperate hunt for survivors in the scorched remains of a town nearly 'wiped off the map'.
All of the deaths were in Lahaina, the worst-affected town which officials said has been 'decimated'. Earlier in the day, Maui's Mayor Richard Bissen announced six people had died and 271 buildings had been torched - a number which could also rise further as the fires have already caused multi-billion dollar damage.
Authorities are struggling to shelter the hundreds of locals and tourists who have been displaced - while President Biden issued federal aid and sent Black Hawks to help douse the unrelenting flames that are fuelled by intense winds near Hawaii.
Democratic Senator for Hawaii, Brian Schatz, revealed that Lahaina has been 'almost totally burnt to the ground' as firefighters made little headway in the battle.
A local resident said what he saw in the town was 'like a warzone', while another person described it as 'utter devastation... It is far from hyperbole to say that Lahaina has been wiped off the map.'
Thousands of tourists vacationing at the popular destination are still stuck on the island and are seeking temporary shelter after being ordered to leave.
Desperate people have been seen hurling themselves into the ocean to escape the blaze that has engulfed the landscape, with dramatic pictures showing parts of the island paradise laid to waste by the infernos.
Officials are nervously awaiting a presidential declaration of emergency, which they hope will be made in the coming 'hours or days' - as the state estimates it will be facing billions of dollars of structural damage due to the raging infernos.
At a press conference at 9pm on Thursday, Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke said she had flown over Lahaina, a town of 12,000 people, to see the damage with her own eyes.
'[It] was just so shocking and devastating... The whole town was devastated, the whole town was decimated,' she said.
A longtime Maui resident who filmed the scenes of devastation in Lahaina said he left out some footage as it was too graphic to share.
While the official death toll was still at six, Emerson Timmins told local news outlet KHON2 News that he would assume 'it is much, much, much higher'.
Describing what he saw, he said: 'There were cars abandoned on the road, I assume those people couldn't get out in time.
'They probably headed to the ocean, the ones that could make it, and people leaving their homes.
'If a young person could barely get out of there with their family, then the elderly are trapped, those that are handicapped.
'There's no way - those numbers are much higher. It's terrifying, to think about all those families losing their loved ones and their homes.'
As fires closed in all the way up to the shoreline, frantic locals jumped into the water in the harbor to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats.
One local told reporters on Wednesday: 'We've still got dead bodies floating on the seawall. They've been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling people out since last night, trying to save peoples' lives.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...e-hawaii-torched-tourists-shelter-flames.html
All of the deaths were in Lahaina, the worst-affected town which officials said has been 'decimated'. Earlier in the day, Maui's Mayor Richard Bissen announced six people had died and 271 buildings had been torched - a number which could also rise further as the fires have already caused multi-billion dollar damage.
Authorities are struggling to shelter the hundreds of locals and tourists who have been displaced - while President Biden issued federal aid and sent Black Hawks to help douse the unrelenting flames that are fuelled by intense winds near Hawaii.
Democratic Senator for Hawaii, Brian Schatz, revealed that Lahaina has been 'almost totally burnt to the ground' as firefighters made little headway in the battle.
A local resident said what he saw in the town was 'like a warzone', while another person described it as 'utter devastation... It is far from hyperbole to say that Lahaina has been wiped off the map.'
Thousands of tourists vacationing at the popular destination are still stuck on the island and are seeking temporary shelter after being ordered to leave.
Desperate people have been seen hurling themselves into the ocean to escape the blaze that has engulfed the landscape, with dramatic pictures showing parts of the island paradise laid to waste by the infernos.
Officials are nervously awaiting a presidential declaration of emergency, which they hope will be made in the coming 'hours or days' - as the state estimates it will be facing billions of dollars of structural damage due to the raging infernos.
At a press conference at 9pm on Thursday, Lt. Governor Sylvia Luke said she had flown over Lahaina, a town of 12,000 people, to see the damage with her own eyes.
'[It] was just so shocking and devastating... The whole town was devastated, the whole town was decimated,' she said.
A longtime Maui resident who filmed the scenes of devastation in Lahaina said he left out some footage as it was too graphic to share.
While the official death toll was still at six, Emerson Timmins told local news outlet KHON2 News that he would assume 'it is much, much, much higher'.
Describing what he saw, he said: 'There were cars abandoned on the road, I assume those people couldn't get out in time.
'They probably headed to the ocean, the ones that could make it, and people leaving their homes.
'If a young person could barely get out of there with their family, then the elderly are trapped, those that are handicapped.
'There's no way - those numbers are much higher. It's terrifying, to think about all those families losing their loved ones and their homes.'
As fires closed in all the way up to the shoreline, frantic locals jumped into the water in the harbor to escape the flames. Twelve people were rescued from the waves by boats.
One local told reporters on Wednesday: 'We've still got dead bodies floating on the seawall. They've been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling people out since last night, trying to save peoples' lives.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...e-hawaii-torched-tourists-shelter-flames.html
