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What to know about the wildfires:
- At least six people have died in fires in Maui, officials said Wednesday. Some injuries have been reported, but officials did not provide a number.
- Crews continue to battle fires in Maui and the Big Island, which have been fanned in part by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm.
- The Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued 14 people including two children, who went into the ocean to escape the blazes and smoke.
- At least 271 structures have been damaged, destroyed or otherwise impacted in the western Maui town of Lahaina after a devastating wildfire, Maui County officials said.
- The full extent of the damage may not be known for weeks or even months, acting Gov. Sylvia Luke said.
- Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, is destroyed in the fires.
Satellite images capture devastation in Lahaina from wildfires
Satellite images captured the devastation on Maui Wednesday after a wildfire tore through Lahaina, a popular vacation destination on the island’s west coast that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
In one image from the company Maxar Technologies, the historic area of Banyan Court — home to the island’s oldest living banyan tree, at 150 years old — appears to have mostly been reduced to ash.
Other images showed similar devastation in and around Lahaina Square, a shopping area, and a neighborhood on the southern end of the town.
Visitors asked to leave Maui as soon as possible due to crisis
Visitors “with vehicles or any means of transportation” are being asked to leave the fire-ravaged Lahaina area and Maui as soon as possible, county officials said today.
The county made the request because officials have limited resources in what it described as a crisis.
Buses will be taking people from Sheraton Maui Resort in Kaʻanapali to Kahului Airport, the county said.
Widespread damage has been seen in Lahaina in western Maui from one of three wildfires. At least six people are dead, and western Maui does not have power or cell service.
Firefighters battling spot fires around Lahaina, no new evacuations
More than 100 Maui firefighters were battling three wildfires today, and helicopters have been making water drops and conducting searches, Maui County said.
No new evacuations were ordered in Maui, which has faced severe wind-fueled wildfires, but the damage in the western Maui town of Lahaina was called widespread.
There are three fires on Maui — the Lahaina, Pūlehu and Upcountry fires. The National Guard and other military units are assisting with helicopters doing water drops, officials said.
Firefighters in Lahaina were putting out spot fires around the community of around 12,700, the county said in a statement.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell also tweeted that she has spoken with the state’s lieutenant governor, and that the agency has authorized federal assistance to help firefighting efforts.
‘Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have been burned down’
Residents who have fled their homes in advance of devastating wildfires have shared their heartbreak and uncertainty with NBC affiliate KHNL of Honolulu.
“Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have been burned down,” Tiare Lawrence, of the community on the western edge of Maui, told the station. She said she was trying to make sure everyone in her family is safe.
Holly Zackious, of Kula, found her home was intact but told the station that others in the neighborhood were burned to the ground.
“It’s awful the amount of damage that this fire wreaked havoc,” she said. “We’re praying for Lahaina.”
Gabe Johnson, Maui County council member for the island of Lāna’i, told KHNL that those who have not been affected are coming to help others.
“We rebuild. You know, Lahaina strong,” Johnson told the station. “It’s not just an expression.”
At least 271 structures damaged or destroyed in Maui fires
At least 271 structures have been damaged, destroyed or otherwise impacted in the western Maui town of Lahaina after a devastating wildfire, Maui County officials said.
The state’s lieutenant governor said earlier today that it could be weeks or months before the full damage of the fires on Maui is known.
Fires continue to burn both on Maui and the island of Hawaii and high-speed and erratic winds continue to make it difficult to fly aircraft to get a better sense of the totality of the damage, a Hawaii Emergency Management Agency official said.
"Widespread damage to the West Maui town, the harbor and surrounding areas are being documented," the county said in a statement.
Wildfire decimates Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom
A historic seaside town that once was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii has been largely reduced to ash as wildfires continued to rip through the state Wednesday.
Hawaiians say Lahaina’s disaster leaves them mourning the loss of a place dense with Native Hawaiian history and culture — and they’re bracing for what the tragedy will mean for their communities in the long term.
“People are worried about their loved ones, their homes, their businesses, their jobs,” said David Aiona Chang, who is Native Hawaiian and a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. “So many of the disasters that hit Hawaii hit Native Hawaiians the hardest. It’s something that we are going to be dealing with for a long time.”
Satellite imagery shows Maui fires
Aerial video shows devastation in Maui
Helicopter video from Air Maui Helicopter Tours in Lahaina shows the devastation in the community of around 12,700 on the western coast of Maui, after wildfires.