2023-08-10 08:44:21
Disasters People flee into the sea
Wildfires out of control kill at least 36 in Hawaii
Status: 10:44 a.m. | Reading time: 4 minutes
Flaming inferno in Hawaii – apocalyptic scenes in a vacation paradise
Thick smoke hangs over the Pacific vacation paradise, a strip of Maui’s coastline is ablaze, parts of the usually lush green island are charred black. Thousands of tourists are stuck – without electricity, often without access to food and without information on how to proceed.
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Wildfires have spiraled out of control on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The center of the tourist town of Lahaina is on fire, killing at least 36 people. Around 2,000 travelers were stranded at the airport.
According to media reports, at least 36 people died in the severe bush and forest fires on the island of Maui in the US state of Hawaii. This was reported by the ABC subsidiary broadcaster KITV4 and the “Hawaii News Now” portal late Wednesday evening (local time), citing the mayor of the Maui district, Richard Bissen.
Maui’s wildfires are out of control. The full extent of the damage is not yet foreseeable. Chaotic scenes took place on the Hawaiian island. On Tuesday evening in the coastal town of Lahaina, people stocked up on emergency supplies in the supermarket, which was still open and was provisioned by a generator because of the power outage. The shelves were already half empty, the cooling was no longer working.
Smoke darkened the sky, acrid smoke hung in the air. Power poles had fallen onto the streets, cars caught between the lines.
Parts of Lahaina were already on fire on Tuesday
Which: via REUTERS
Parts of Lahaina are destroyed. The Front Street promenade with numerous shops and restaurants is also affected, as a spokeswoman for the district of Maui on the island of the same name said on Wednesday. People therefore sought refuge from fire and smoke in the sea. The US Coast Guard tweeted that 12 people had been rescued from the water off Lahaina.
Thousands of tourists were stuck in hotels and holiday apartments on the west side of the island on Wednesday – without electricity since Tuesday morning, in many cases without access to food and without information on how to proceed. Cell phone reception had largely collapsed, as a WELT reporter reported. The people stood together in groups on small hills that promise some reception. No one knew when the electricity would be restored, whether the fires were still blazing or whether further evacuations were pending. Firefighting helicopters rattled over the island.
The police had closed the only road to the south and sent all motorists on the way around the northern tip of the island – a steep, very often single-lane serpentine road through the mountains, which demands everything from even experienced drivers.
This satellite image from Wednesday shows smoke over the Lahaina area
Which: via REUTERS
Fire near Lahaina: Authorities warn against driving in the direction of the city
Which: via REUTERS
Satellite photos from the space agency Nasa appeared to show flames in large parts of the center of the former whaling town. Photos of burnt down buildings could also be seen on social media. Governor Josh Green broke off a private trip and wanted to arrive back in Hawaii on Wednesday. He spoke of a “terrible catastrophe”. Travel to Maui has been discouraged. “This is not a safe place,” Deputy Governor Sylvia Luke warned. They wanted to keep tourists away with an emergency declaration.
Eyewitnesses described apocalyptic scenes in the town on the west of the island. Four emergency shelters were opened for evacuees, and according to Mayor Bissen, more than 2,100 people spent the night there. An estimated 2,000 travelers were stranded at Maui Airport on Wednesday morning, and flights were canceled. Thousands of homes and businesses were without power.
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Helicopter pilot Richard Olsten flew over the town on Wednesday. Most of the historic core burned down. It looked like a war zone, “as if the area was being bombed,” he described his impressions on CNN. Heavy gusts of wind did not initially allow the flames to be fought from the air on Tuesday. On Wednesday there were still fires in three places on Maui. Fires also raged on the neighboring island of Hawaii to the east, the largest island in the state of the same name.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which passed a safe distance about 500 miles south of the Hawaiian island chain, was partly responsible for winds gusting more than 75 miles per hour that fueled the fire and power outages. Firefighting helicopters had to stay on the ground because of the strong wind.
The authorities had issued a “red flag” warning for the Hawaiian island chain because of the high risk of fire, favored by drought, high temperatures and strong winds. Such conditions are otherwise known from US states such as California or Oregon, where devastating wildfires occur more frequently.
US President Joe Biden has pledged government aid to the state of Hawaii. The National Guard and Navy stand by the response teams. The Department of Transportation will help fly vacationers out of Maui, a statement said. They should be taken to the island of Oahu, west of Maui, the broadcaster Hawaii News Now reported. There, a convention center will be transformed into an emergency shelter.
Several airlines canceled flights to Maui at short notice on Wednesday. However, there are still flights from Maui so that vacationers can start their return journey, CNN reported. Several people with burn injuries have already flown to a special clinic in Honolulu, Oahu, a spokeswoman for the emergency services agency said. It was not immediately known what caused the fire.
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