The death toll from three wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui has climbed to 55 confirmed deaths as of Friday morning, according to Hawaiian officials, but the death count is expected to rise.
None of the three major fires have been fully contained so far, but the largest fire that destroyed most of the historic town of Lahaina has been 80% contained as of Thursday. Lahaina was the Hawaiian kingdom's capital in the 1800s.“When you see full extent of the destruction of Lahaina, it will shock you,” Gov. Josh Green said at a news conference Thursday. “It does appear like a bomb and fire went off, if I may. And all of those buildings virtually are going to have to be rebuilt.
The destruction of Lahaina is particularly devastating to Hawaiians, as the town is filled with Native Hawaiian history and culture. The town was home to the famous large banyan tree that was planted in April 1873 to mark the place where King Kamehameha’s first palace stood. Much of that tree has been burned in the fires, according to the town’s website.
"Some of the aerial footage that we’ve seen from the area reminds me of the pictures from Dresden from World War II,” Hawaii Emergency Management Agency spokesman Adam Weintraub said, referring to a German city that was almost fully destroyed by Allied bombs. The disaster, which broke out on Tuesday, has resulted in one of the deadliest fires in America's history. The deadliest in the past 100 years was the 2018 Camp fire that devastated Paradise, California, and killed 85 people. Although the Maui fires have killed 55 people so far, the number is expected to rise as officials search for people who are considered missing.
The fires have damaged or destroyed close to 300 structures in Maui County, at least 270 of which are from Lahaina, according to officials. But it is too early to determine the full scale of the destruction and the final tally of the lives that have been lost. Officials have warned that the final death tally could take weeks to confirm.
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