Hawaii: Maui wildfires death toll rises to 36

Officials in Hawaii’s Maui County said Thursday at least 36 lives have been claimed as deadly wildfires sweep across the area, forcing authorities to start evacuating people.

“As the firefighting efforts continue, 36 total fatalities have been discovered today amid the active Lahaina fire,” the Maui county government said in a statement.

Maui County said more than 100 firefighters at any one time are battling the active wildfires on the island, where winds were finally abating Wednesday night, Hawaii News Now reported.

There are no further details about the 36 deceased people but residents are turning to social media to look at their loved ones.

Authorities have opened five evacuation shelters on Maui. Officials earlier said they were “overrun” with people. The island is a popular tourist destination and visitors have been urged to stay away.

Hawaii Lt Governor Sylvia Luke told reporters: “This is not a safe place to be. We have resources that are being taxed.”

“We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It’s like an apocalypse,” resident Mason Jarvi told Reuters.

On Wednesday, At least six people died and scores of others left Maui County after wind-fueled wildfires destroyed hundreds of buildings in the historical town of Lahaina.

“We are still in a search and rescue mode, and so I don’t know what will happen to that number,” Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said Wednesday.

Lt Governor Luke said it could take months to assess the full scope of the damage from the fires.

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“This is the entire state coming together to assist our family on Maui,” she said Wednesday.

“We never anticipated a hurricane that did not make impact would cause this type of wildfires. Wildfires that wiped out communities. Wildfires that wiped out businesses.”

The wildfire was widespread in Lahaina, a tourist town with a population of 12,000 on the northwestern tip of Maui.

Not many details were provided earlier by the mayor regarding the circumstances surrounding the number of deaths.

The mayor earlier said that several people are unaccounted for including people in vehicles who haven’t gone into a shelter.

Lahaina is a resort city and the main tourist destination on the island. It has been devastated by the fire as images show huge areas decimated.