Thick smoke hangs over the vacation paradise, a strip of Maui’s coastline is ablaze, parts of the usually lush green island are charred black. These are shocking and rare images from Hawaii of devastating bush and forest fires. At least six people have died, but the number could be rising, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen said. At least 20 people suffered burns. Many buildings had burned down “to the ground”. The full extent of the damage is not yet foreseeable.
Hawaii’s governor Josh Green spoke of a “terrible disaster”. Travel to Maui has been discouraged. “This is not a safe place,” Deputy Governor Sylvia Luke warned. They wanted to keep tourists away with an emergency declaration. The County of Maui yesterday called on travelers to leave the island as soon as possible. There are seats available on flights from Kahului Airport in the east of the island. However, travelers would have to call and reserve the airlines beforehand. In West Maui, however, there is still no electricity and no mobile or landline connections.
Eyewitnesses described apocalyptic scenes in the hardest-hit coastal town of Lahaina, usually a scenic tourist destination in western Maui. People jumped into the sea to flee from the rapidly spreading flames. The Coast Guard later said more than a dozen were rescued from the water, according to CNN. Large parts of the historic site were destroyed, and the port and surrounding area were also damaged, the Maui district wrote in a further statement on Wednesday. More than 271 buildings were caught in the flames. “We no longer have Lahaina, it’s gone,” the US broadcaster CNN quoted a resident as saying.
Helicopter pilot Richard Olsten flew over the town on Wednesday. Most of the historic core burned down. It looked like a war zone, as if the area was being bombed, he described his impressions on CNN.
Hurricane partly responsible for fires
Heavy gusts of wind did not initially allow the flames to be fought from the air on Tuesday. On Wednesday there were still fires in three places on Maui. Fires also raged on the neighboring island of Hawaii to the east, the largest island in the state of the same name.
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 that Hawaiians and the state have not experienced,” said Sylvia Luke.
The authorities had issued a “red flag” warning for the Hawaiian island chain because of the high risk of fire, favored by drought, high temperatures and strong winds. Such conditions are otherwise known from western US states, including California or Oregon, where devastating wildfires occur more frequently.
Biden agrees to help
US President Joe Biden has pledged government aid to the state of Hawaii. The National Guard and Navy stand by the response teams. The Department of Transportation will help fly vacationers out of Maui, a statement said.
They should be taken to the island of Oahu, west of Maui, the broadcaster Hawaii News Now reported. There, a convention center will be transformed into an emergency shelter. Several airlines canceled flights to Maui at short notice on Wednesday. However, there are still flights from Maui so that vacationers can start their return journey, CNN reported.
