The provisional toll of the fires that are ravaging Hawaii in these hours is at least 6 victims in Maui alone, as communicated by the authorities. But it is feared that the number of dead is destined to grow as rescuers manage to put out portions of the fire and advance into the burned territories. Hawaii has declared a state of emergency and alerted the National Guard to facilitate operations to extinguish the flames that are enveloping the islands of the archipelago and to help residents and tourists evacuate cities and beaches. Wildfires and fires have put pressure on the island in recent days, then the flames were fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, which made the work of firefighters impossible. While the fire had an easy life, not only due to wind gusts of up to 100 kilometers per hour, but also due to the drought. The National Guard is helping firefighters on the island of Maui try to put out the flames but the fires are now out of control. “We’re still in search and rescue mode so I don’t know what will happen to that number,” said Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.
Several witnesses tell the American media of the horror and panic scenes, describing an apocalyptic situation, including power cuts, columns of smoke and with many people forced to jump into the ocean to save themselves from the flames. In Lahaina, a popular tourist resort, flames destroyed clubs and buildings in the main streets. The health system is under pressure from the numerous burn patients and the emergency numbers are out of order, as reported by the Bbc, while 2,100 people have been received in emergency shelters and in Maui alone over 14,000 people are without electricity. The authorities have closed all the thoroughfares in the city and also those of West Maui to the public, practically isolating the western part of the island, which remains accessible only to emergency personnel.
Your browser does not support the iframe tag