The historic town of Lahaina—the former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom—has almost entirely been destroyed as wildfires continued to rage across Hawaii’s second-biggest island Maui Wednesday, killing at least six people and forcing thousands of others to evacuate.
People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown ... [+]
Earlier Wednesday, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. confirmed the deaths of six people from the wildfire and said at least a dozen had been rescued, as winds from Hurricane Dora disrupted firefighting efforts.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it rescued 14 people, including two children, who had jumped into the ocean to escape the wildfire.
Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) tweeted that Lahaina Town had “almost totally burnt to the ground” while satellite photos shared by Maxar showed the scope of the devastation.
At least 271 structures have been damaged or destroyed in Lahaina, including several historic buildings.
More than 100 Maui firefighters are battling “spot fires” around Lahaina and they have requested 20 additional personnel from Honolulu.
As the island battles the blaze and its fallout, visitors are being asked to leave Maui immediately.
2,100. That is the total number of people that are being housed in emergency shelters set up across Maui.
This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the ... [+]
In this photo provided by Brantin Stevens smoke fill the air from wild fires at Lahaina harbor in ... [+]
This combination of satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Banyan ... [+]
Smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui.
Six Dead In Hawaii As Hurricane Winds Spur Wildfires Across Maui (Forbes)