Aerial video showed pillars of smoke rising from block after block of Lahaina
\nHAWAII
\nWildfires fanned by winds of a distant hurricane killed at least six people and devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii\u2019s Maui island on Wednesday, forcing thousands to evacuate as some fled into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames.
\nMultiple neighborhoods were burnt to the ground as the western side of the island was nearly cut off with only one highway open as officials told of widespread devastation to Lahaina, its harbor and surrounding areas.
\nSome 271 structures were damaged or destroyed, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, citing official reports from flyovers conducted by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department.
\n\u201cWe just had the worst disaster I\u2019ve ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It\u2019s like an apocalypse,\u201d said Lahaina resident Mason Jarvi, who escaped from the city.
\nJarvi showed Reuters pictures he took of the ashen-colored destruction along the Lahaina waterfront. Wearing shorts, he also showed blisters on his thigh that he said he suffered when riding through flames on his electric bike to save his dog.
\nAerial video showed pillars of smoke rising from block after block of Lahaina, the largest tourist destination on Maui and home to multiple large hotels.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s like an area was bombed. It\u2019s like a war zone,\u201d said helicopter pilot Richard Olsten, according to Hawaii News Now.
\nWith firefighters battling three major blazes, western Maui was closed to all but emergency workers and evacuees.
\nThe fires, which started Tuesday night, also scorched parts of the Big Island of Hawaii. The state said thousands of acres burned.
\nAt least 4,000 tourists were trying to leave western Maui, said Ed Sniffen of the Hawaii Department of Transportation. Though at least 16 roads were closed, the Maui airport was operating fully and airlines were dropping fares and offering waivers to get people off the island, Sniffen said.
\nPanicked evacuees posted images on social media showing clouds of smoke billowing over once-idyllic beaches and palm trees.
\n\u201cI was the last one off the dock when the firestorm came through the banyan trees and took everything with it. And I just ran out and helped everyone I could along the way,\u201d said Dustin Johnson, who was in Lahaina Harbor working for a charter boat company that offers two-hour tours. He spoke from Kahului Airport, normally a 25-minute drive east of Lahaina.
\nSome people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the U.S. Coast Guard to rescue them, according to a Maui County press release.
\nOfficials said they were looking into witness reports of people being trapped in their cars.
\n\u201cLocal people have lost everything. They\u2019ve lost their house. They\u2019ve lost their animals. It\u2019s devastating,\u201d said Jimmy Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism.
\nAt least 20 people suffered serious burns and were airlifted to Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported, citing officials.
\nEvacuation efforts were complicated by power outages and disruption to cell phone service, as communication with the west side of Maui was only available via satellite, Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said.
\n\u201cWe have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed,\u201d Luke said.
\nThe situation in Hawaii recalled scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Europe, and western Canada suffered unusually severe fires.
\nHuman-caused climate change, driven by fossil fuel use, is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events, scientists say, having long warned that government officials must slash emissions to prevent climate catastrophe.
\nThe White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered \u201call available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response.\u201d
\nThe National Guard, U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard were mobilized, while the U.S. Department of Transportation aided evacuation efforts, Biden said.
\nDeanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said U.S. assistance had already been authorized.
\nThe cause in Maui had yet to be determined but the National Weather Service said the fires were fueled by a mix of dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity.
\nOfficials said the winds from Hurricane Dora fanned the flames across the state. The storm was about 860 miles (1,380 km) southwest of Honolulu as of 11 a.m. local time (2100 GMT), the National Hurricane Center said. A weather service wind advisory remained in effect until Thursday morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Aerial video showed pillars of smoke rising from block after block of Lahaina HAWAII Wildfires fanned by winds of a distant hurricane killed at least six people and devastated much of the resort city Lahaina on Hawaii\u2019s Maui island on Wednesday, forcing thousands to evacuate as some fled into the ocean to escape the smoke […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348503,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-348479","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n