Maui wildfires – live: Devastating wildfire sweeps through historic town and kills at least 6

At least six people have died in wildfires raging on the Hawaiian island of Maui , mayor Richard Bissen Jr has said. Several others are unaccounted for while hospitals on Maui are overwhelmed by burn and smoke inhalation victims, officials added. Mr Bissen Jr said the fatalities had been confirmed moments before a news conference on Wednesday. ‘I’m sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed we’ve had six fatalities. We are still in search and rescue mode.’ Search and rescue teams are struggling to reach parts of Maui cut off by three out-of-control blazes. More than 2,100 people were housed across four emergency shelters on Wednesday evening, state officials said . Wildfires whipped up by strong winds from Hurricane Dora have destroyed homes, knocked out 911 and cell services, and forced residents to flee into the ocean. Key Points ‘911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down’ VIDEO: Roadside devastated as Hurricane Dora and wildfire tears through island Residents ‘entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions’ Videos show Hawaii devastation Wildfires sent Hawaiians fleeing into the ocean. It could be the state’s worst natural disaster in decades 04:00 , Bevan Hurley Wildfires raging out of control in Hawaii have caused large numbers of burn and smoke inhalation injuries, knocked out 911 and cell services, forced residents to escape into the ocean, and brought down power to thousands of homes, officials say. Several large fires on Maui and the Big Island, partly fuelled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have destroyed dozens of homes and businesses and completely cut off affected areas. Acting governor Sylvia Luke has issued an emergency proclamation and pleaded with federal officials to declare an emergency. Hawaii wildfires could be state’s worst natural disaster in decades Satellite images shows spread of wildfires 03:15 , Gustaf Kilander A satellite image shows wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, U.S., August 8, 2023 (via REUTERS) A satellite image shows wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, U.S., August 8, 2023 (via REUTERS) In this image obtained from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Shows wildfires on the west coast of Maui (C L) in Hawaii, on August 9, 2023 (RAMMB-CIRA/NOAA/AFP via Getty Im) Fires killed six people on the island of Maui 02:30 , AP Crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. In West Maui, 911 service was out and residents were directed to call the police department directly. The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora , which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. Aircraft resumed flights Wednesday as the strong winds diminished somewhat. The Coast Guard on Tuesday rescued 14 people including two children, who had fled into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, the county said in a statement. Fires killed six people on the island of Maui, Lahaina Town Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said during a Wednesday morning news conference. He said he had just learned the news and didn’t know the details of how or where on the island the deaths happened. 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. Three of them had critical burns and were taken to Straub Medical Center’s burn unit, he said. The others were taken to other Honolulu hospitals. At least 20 patients were taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, he said. He had not heard of any deaths. Authorities said earlier Wednesday that a firefighter in Maui was hospitalized in stable condition after inhaling smoke. People in Hawaii flee into ocean to escape wildfire destroying historic Maui tourist town 01:45 , AP A wildfire tore through the heart of Maui on Wednesday with alarming speed and ferocity, destroying dozens of homes and businesses in a historic tourist town, killing at least six people and injuring at least two dozen others, and forcing panicked residents to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. Fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, a popular shopping and dining area, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday. 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. Aerial video from after sunrise revealed entire blocks of buildings reduced to ash and thick smoke in the air. ‘Do NOT go to Lahaina Town,’ the county tweeted hours before all roads in and out of West Maui’s biggest community were closed to everyone except emergency personnel. More than 2,100 people spent the night in evacuation centers. Maui and Big Island face evacuations as Hurricane Dora fuels wildfires 01:00 , Natalie Chinn Unprecedented wildfires are burning across the Hawaiian islands, prompting mass evacuations and power outages. Late 8 August, acting Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency proclamation. The islands of Maui and Big Island are the most affected. The historic town of Lahaina in Maui, home to over 12,000 people, has been devastated by the flames, with reports saying dozens were forced to flee into the ocean The fires are a result of dry conditions and strong winds fueled by Hurricane Dora, which is raging over 500 miles south of the islands. The Hawaii National Guard has been activated but firefighters and aerial support are still struggling to respond to the situation due to the heavy winds. 2018 Florida hurricane laid groundwork for 2022 wildfire Thursday 10 August 2023 00:15 , Gustaf Kilander Hurricanes have spurred wildfires in the past – not just by the winds giving fires a push but also by giving them more fuel to burn. Hurricane Michael took down large amounts of trees in Florida in 2018, making them a prime target for wildfires in the state last year. In March 2022, University of Florida fire ecologist David Godwin wrote for The Conversation that Hurricane Michael had ‘a catastrophic impact on timber in the region. The hurricane dropped most of the standing trees into a jumbled mess that piled up on the ground’. He added that a forest fire’s regular fuel load, as in ‘the total mass of burnable stuff on a site – is less than 10 tons per acre’. Following the hurricane in the Florida panhandle, surveys found that there were more than 100 tons per acre in parts of the area. ‘That’s off the charts. Everyone involved saw this storm had tremendous potential to affect wildfire activity for years to come,’ Dr Godwin added. ‘In most fires within the region, only the ground cover and understory vegetation burn. Here, almost the entire forest is now on the ground – branches and trunks that normally wouldn’t be available to the fire are dead, dry and ready to burn.’ ‘A tragic symbol of the climate emergency and colonial greed’ Wednesday 9 August 2023 23:55 , Gustaf Kilander Family forced to camp in van overnight after flight home cancelled Wednesday 9 August 2023 23:30 , Gustaf Kilander The 911 emergency reporting system was down in West Maui early on Wednesday, where residents were urged to make direct calls to the police department, according to county officials. Areas of Maui were placed under orders to evacuate. Two shelters were shut down as the flames closed in, with those inside being moved on to other locations. Margo Brousseau, 52, told The New York Times that she was able to smell the smoke at the Kihei Community Center before it was closed. Ms Brousseau is visiting with her family – they were planning on staying the night in a van in the shelter’s car park. They had rented the vehicle after their Tuesday night flight home was cancelled. She told the paper that the airline staff told them that ‘there is nowhere we can put you because all of these hotels don’t have power and all these people are being evacuated from their own resorts, so we don’t have anywhere to offer you’. The Weather Service said that a red flag warning was in effect for some parts of the Hawaii islands, meaning that they were, or would soon be, under critical fire conditions. The winds in Hawaii are set to slow on Wednesday as a high-pressure system to the north is decreasing in strength and Hurricane Dora moves further west, according to the Weather Service. ‘We are in a climate emergency and this crisis is killing us,’ Hawaii indigenous leader says Wednesday 9 August 2023 23:05 , Bevan Hurley and Gustaf Kilander The National Director of the Green New Deal Network and Hawaii indigenous leader Kaniela Ing told The Independent in a statement that ‘My island is on fire. My heart is breaking at the utter devastation these wildfires are causing my friends, family, and community’. ‘I’ve been texting friends all day to see if they’re okay. I can’t stop thinking about how my mom was just about to sign a lease for an apartment in Lahania,’ the former Hawaii House member said. ‘The extreme wildfires in Lahania, in this summer of climate disasters, are yet more proof that we are in a climate emergency and this crisis is killing us. Our leaders in DC passed starting measures to tackle climate change – but we need legislation that is as bold and urgent as the scale of the wildfires choking Hawaii and Canada, the heatwaves suffocating Texas, and the extreme flooding drowning Europe,’ he added. ‘How many more lives lost or families displaced in communities like mine is President Biden willing to tolerate before he declares a climate emergency and activates politicians to take further climate action?’ Category four storm more than 700 miles south of Honolulu Wednesday 9 August 2023 22:45 , Gustaf Kilander Winds have reached up to 45 miles an hour, with gusts of up to 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The agency told residents on social media to secure their property and to prepare for lost power and travel disruptions. The category four storm was more than 700 miles south of the state capital Honolulu late on Tuesday and it was not expected to make landfall, The New York Times reported. A meteorologist at the Weather Service’s office in Honolulu, Robert Bohlin, told the paper that while the hurricane wasn’t directly responsible for the worsening conditions in the island state, it has made the winds stronger in the area. By Tuesday, the fires in Hawaii and Maui counties had scorched hundreds of acres, lieutenant governor Sylvia Lake said in her proclamation activating the National Guard. She’s acting governor while Governor Josh Green travels out of state. There were more than 14,000 customers out of power in Hawaii County on Wednesday, according to poweroutage.us. Hurricane Dora is fuelling Hawaii wildfires. Here’s how Wednesday 9 August 2023 22:00 , Gustaf Kilander The wildfires in Hawaii damaging buildings and leading to evacuations are spurred on by heavy winds coming from Hurricane Dora off the islands’ coast. The storm was moving west across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of Hawaii on Wednesday. To the west of Maui, residents scarpered into the ocean to avoid the fires and smoke. County officials said they were rescued by the US Coast Guard. Hurricane Dora is fuelling Hawaii wildfires. Here’s how Wednesday 9 August 2023 21:33 , Bevan Hurley At least six people have died in wildfires raging on the Hawaiian island of Maui , mayor Richard Bissen Jr says. Several others are unaccounted for while hospitals on Maui are overwhelmed by burn and smoke inhalation victims, officials said. Mr Bissen Jr said the fatalities had been confirmed moments before a news conference on Wednesday. ‘I’m sad to report that just before coming on this, it was confirmed we’ve had six fatalities. We are still in a search and rescue mode.’ Wildfires whipped up by strong winds from Hurricane Dora have destroyed homes, knocked out 911 and cell services, and forced residents to flee into the ocean. Search and rescue teams are struggling to reach parts of Maui cut off by three out-of-control blazes. VIDEO: Maui and Big Island evacuated as Hurricane Dora winds fuel blazes Wednesday 9 August 2023 21:30 , Natalie Chinn PHOTOS: People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires Wednesday 9 August 2023 21:00 , AP/Reuters People watch as smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2023 (Alan Dickar via AP) Smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2023 (Alan Dickar via AP) This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the intersection at Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass in Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023 (Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP) An aerial view of a wildfire in Kihei, Maui County, Hawaii, U.S., August 8, 2023 in this screen grab obtained from a social media video (Clint Hansen of Maui Real Estate Radio/TMX via REUTERS) Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the US West Wednesday 9 August 2023 20:30 , Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, AP Fires in Hawaii are unlike many of those burning in the U.S. West. They tend to break out in large grasslands on the dry sides of the islands and are generally much smaller than mainland fires. Fires were rare in Hawaii and on other tropical islands before humans arrived, and native ecosystems evolved without them. This means great environmental damage can occur when fires erupt. For example, fires remove vegetation. When a fire is followed by heavy rainfall, the rain can carry loose soil into the ocean, where it can smother coral reefs. A major fire on the Big Island in 2021 burned homes and forced thousands to evacuate. The island of Oahu, where Honolulu is located, also was dealing with power outages, downed power lines and traffic problems, said Adam Weintraub, communication director for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency. ‘We’re trying to protect homes in the community,’ mayor says Wednesday 9 August 2023 20:00 , Jennifer Sinco Kelleher, AP Winds were recorded at 80 mph (129 kph) in inland Maui and one fire that was believed to be contained earlier Tuesday flared up hours later with the big