- Wildfires ripped across Maui Island
- Airport remains open as thousands evacuated
- Efforts hampered by power outages, cell phone disruption
- White House orders ‘all available Federal assets’ to help
More than 11,000 travelers were evacuated from Maui, Ed Sniffen of the Hawaii Department of Transportation said. 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 had said earlier in the day.
Panicked evacuees posted images on social media showing clouds of smoke billowing over once-idyllic beaches and palm trees. Some 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.
Officials said they were looking into witness reports of people being trapped in their cars. At least 20 people suffered serious burns and were airlifted to Oahu, Hawaii News Now reported, citing officials.
The 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.
Human-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.
The death count from a wildfire that turned a historic Hawaiian town to ashes has risen to 36 people, officials said. The fires began burning early Tuesday, putting homes, businesses, and utilities at risk, as well as more than 35,000 people on the island of Maui. The fires have burned more than 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of land, the state agency said.
The fires had sent desperate residents jumping into the ocean in a bid to escape the fast-moving flames. More than 270 buildings have been damaged or destroyed in the seriously affected town of Lahaina, officials said earlier on Wednesday.
The White House issued a message of condolence from President Joe Biden, who praised the work of firefighters and ordered “all available Federal assets on the Islands to help with response.”
The National Guard, U.S. Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard were mobilized, while the U.S. Department of Transportation aided evacuation efforts, Biden said. The cause in Maui had yet to be determined but the National Weather Service said the fires were fuelled by a mix of dry vegetation, strong winds, and low humidity.
(With inputs from agencies)
