At least six people have died in severe bush and forest fires in the US state of Hawaii. This was announced by Maui County Mayor Richard Bisson. The rescue work was still ongoing. The full extent of the damage is not yet foreseeable, it said. Hawaii’s governor Josh Green spoke of a “terrible disaster”. Travel to the archipelago was discouraged.
The fires are raging on the island of Maui and Hawaii, the largest island in the state of the same name. According to the governor, large parts of the city of Lahaina, Maui were destroyed. Several hundred families lost their homes. In addition, injured people with burns and smoke inhalation were taken to hospitals.
state of emergency declared
A state of emergency has been declared for the two districts of Maui and Hawaii. This will mobilize the Hawaii National Guard to assist responders in affected communities.
Hurricane Dora, which is passing south of the US state’s islands, is partly responsible for the rapidly spreading fires, according to the authorities. “The fact that we have wildfires in multiple areas that are indirectly attributable to a hurricane is unprecedented. This is something the Hawaiians and the state have never experienced,” Maui Deputy Governor Sylvia told CNN Hatch.
