A deadly wildfire swept through the historic town of Lahaina on Maui island with terrifying speed, killing at least 59 and leaving thousands homeless in what officials say is the worst natural disaster in the state’s history.
The fire torched 1,000 buildings and left the town in ruins, with search teams combing through the charred remains for survivors.
The death toll is expected to rise, with Governor Josh Green saying on Friday that there will be “more fatalities”.
The fire began on Tuesday and quickly spread, fanned by strong winds. Many residents had little warning before the flames engulfed their homes.
Maui County Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said the fire’s speed made it “nearly impossible” for frontline responders to communicate with emergency management officials, and that cellular service was knocked out.
County Mayor Richard Bissen said he did not know whether sirens went off but said the fire moved extraordinarily quickly.
“I think this was an impossible situation,” he said.
The disaster has left Maui’s western side without power and water, and three Marriott hotels in the area have been closed.
Volunteers have been working to deliver supplies to the affected areas, and boat captains are using jetskis to transport goods to beaches that have been cut off by the fires.
The Maui blazes are the latest wildfires to strike around the globe this summer. Fires have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Europe, while in western Canada, smoke from a series of severe fires blanketed a vast swath of the US Midwest and East Coast.
In a typical year, wildfires char less than 1 per cent of Hawaii’s acreage, but the spread of non-native, fire-prone grasses on former farmland around towns and a warming climate have elevated the threat of wildfires on the islands.
