The outbreak of several wildfires in Hawaii on Tuesday has left at least 36 dead and dozens more injured as rescuers continue to search the wreckage for signs of life.
The death toll reported by the local authorities is expected to rise since several areas of Maui County have been unreachable.
“We are still in life preservation mode. Search and rescue is still a primary concern,” explained Adam Weintraub, a spokesperson for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, according to AP News.
The series of blazes breaking out across Big Island and Maui due to dry conditions and strong winds fueled by nearby Hurricane Dora left approximately 271 structures either damaged or destroyed.
As previously covered in The Dallas Express, chaos broke out as people jumped into the Pacific Ocean to escape the flames, burn patients poured into area hospitals, and tens of thousands of tourists and locals alike were evacuated to safe zones.
Kamuela Kawaakoa, 34, told AP News that he, his partner Iiulia Yasso, and their 6-year-old son had “barely made it out” of their apartment and into their vehicle when the neighborhood caught fire around them.
“It was so hard to sit there and just watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything,” Kawaakoa added.
The family are residents of the historic town of Lahaina, now said to have burned completely to the ground.
“The whole town was decimated,” said Hawaiian Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who did a flyover tour of the wreckage, according to CNN.
Lahaina, located on Maui’s west side, has been a popular spot among tourists as far back as the 1700s.
While wildfires have broken out on Big Island, the devastation has centered on the island of Maui.
President Joe Biden issued a major disaster declaration for Maui and pledged immediate help to “anyone who’s lost a loved one, or whose home has been damaged or destroyed,” according to AP.
“Our prayers are with the people of Hawaii. But not just our prayers. Every asset we have will be available to them,” he added.
The Coast Guard, the Hawaii State Department of Defense, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency are among the agencies currently mobilized to assist the region.
“This is truly an all hands on deck situation,” said U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) at a news conference, according to The New York Times.
