Maui wildfire death toll hits 53 with over 1,700 homes and buildings destroyed as Hawaii island is obliterated by flames | The Sun
AT least 53 people have been declared dead and more than 1,700 structured destroyed as a result of the continuing wildfires in Maui.
The wildfires broke out on Tuesday morning as Hurricane Dora stirred up intense winds from hundreds of miles south in the Pacific Ocean.
Officials in Maui County confirmed 36 deaths on Wednesday and another 17 on Thursday as the fires rage.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing.
Governor Josh Green said on Thursday that more than 1,700 structures have been destroyed.
“We haven’t had a loss of life instance like this for many years,” Green told CNN.
“As we get into the many hundreds of houses that were overwhelmed by fire, we have great concern we will find the remains of people that were not able to escape.”
Green said that the fires will likely become the deadliest natural disaster in the state since the 1961 hurricane that killed 61 people.
Lahaina has been devastated by the fires.
Resident Tiffany Kidder Winn's gift store was among the businesses destroyed.
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Winn told the AP that charred vehicles could be seen – some with bodies inside.
“It looked like they were trying to get out, but were stuck in traffic and couldn’t get off Front Street,” she said of the vehicles.
Residents were forced to jump into the ocean to escape the raging flames.
The historic town of Lahaina has been flattened as Brian Schatz, a US senator from the state said it is "almost totally burnt to the ground."
More than 2,100 people have been displaced and have sought safety at shelters that have opened due to the fires.
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