Hawaii Wildfires Burns Historic Town Of Lahaina

Raging wildfires fanned by hurricane winds have devastated the historic town of Lahaina on Hawaii’s island of Maui.

Brian Schatz, a US senator from the state, said on social media that Lahaina is “almost totally burnt to the ground”.

Reports say at least six people were killed in Maui County, officials said on Wednesday.

Maui’s hospital system has been overwhelmed with burn patients and people suffering from smoke inhalation.

“Firefighters are still trying to get the fires under control, and our first responders are in search and rescue mode,” Mr Schatz said.

There were reports early on Wednesday that some people jumped into the ocean to escape the fast-moving flames. The US Coast Guard said it rescued at least a dozen people from the water.

Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr said in a news conference that many homes and business structures were completely destroyed.

One resident in the town of some 12,000 people told local media that every boat in the town harbour was burning.

“It looks like something out of a movie, a war movie,” Chrissy Lovitt told Hawaii News Now.

BBC