![]() Dangerous fire conditions created by strong winds and low humidity were expected to last through Wednesday afternoon, the weather service said. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles, was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph that knocked out power as night fell, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. Some people reported having trouble evacuating due to gridlock, smoke and encroaching flames. The wildfire in Lahaina was one of many in Hawaii fanned by strong winds that burned multiple structures, forced evacuations and caused power outages in several communities as firefighters struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines. Some people jumped into the harbor to escape the flames, authorities said. This is going to be devastating for Maui." Flames from a wildfire as seen tearing through businesses in Lahaina, Hawaii on August 8, 2023. A lot of people just lost their jobs because a lot of businesses burned. He told CBS News' Patrick Torphy, "Maui can't handle this. "There were no fire trucks at that point I think the fire department was overwhelmed." "Buildings on both sides were engulfed," Front Street business owner Alan Dickar told CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV. ![]() Kahului Airport, the main airport in Maui, was sheltering 2,000 travelers whose flights were canceled or who recently arrived on the island, the county said.įront Street, a shopping and dining area of Lahaina popular with tourists, was badly hit by the flames. A wildfire is seen on the Hawaiian island of Maui, August 8, 2023, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.Ĭourtesy of Dominika Durisova via Reuters ![]() The proclamation also gives Hawaii's emergency management agency the authority to order mandatory evacuations of civilian populations. Luke issued another proclamation Wednesday afternoon strongly discouraging all nonessential travel to Maui. Luke, the state's lieutenant governor, issued an emergency proclamation on behalf of Green and activated the Hawaii National Guard. And that's been part of the problem," she said. "The reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support," Luke said. Luke had told CNN that the hospital system on the island "was overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation." He had not heard of any deaths.Īuthorities said earlier Wednesday that a firefighter in Maui was hospitalized in stable condition after inhaling smoke. At least 20 patients were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, he said. The others were taken to other Honolulu hospitals. Three of them had critical burns and were taken to Straub Medical Center's burn unit, he said. Six patients were flown from Maui to the island of Oahu on Tuesday night, said Speedy Bailey, regional director for Hawaii Life Flight, an air-ambulance company. Zeke Kalua/County of Maui/Handout via Reuters A wildfire burns on the island of Maui near an intersection in Lahaina, Hawaii, August 9, 2023. Photos posted by the county overnight showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection and leaping above buildings in the town center that dates to the 1700s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Officials issued an island-wide request Wednesday morning for people to conserve water to reduce demand and extend existing supplies as firefighters battled the blazes. Maui County tweeted that multiple roads were closed with a warning: "Do NOT go to Lahaina town." Traffic has been very heavy as people try to evacuate and officials asked people who weren't in an evacuation area to shelter in place to avoid adding to the traffic, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin told the Associated Press in a phone interview early Wednesday. Josh Green, who is traveling and was expected to be back in the state Wednesday night, said in a statement that much of the town "has been destroyed and hundreds of local families have been displaced." "Widespread damage to the West Maui town, the harbor and surrounding areas are being documented," the county said in a statement. Maui county officials reported Wednesday afternoon that at least 271 structures have been damaged or destroyed in the wildfires in Lahaina.
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