The death toll in Maui continues to rise as the Hawaii wildfires continue to burn, with 67 now dead and Lahaina reduced largely to rubble. 💔
Stunned residents are slowly returning to what's left of a historic Maui town that was destroyed by this week's wildfires. The fires on the island have killed at least 55 people.Incinerated cars crushed by downed telephone poles. Charred elevator shafts standing as testaments to the burned down apartment buildings they once served. Pools filled with charcoal colored water. Trampolines and children's scooters mangled by the extreme heat.
"It hit so quick, it was incredible," Lahaina resident Kyle Scharnhorst said as he surveyed his apartment complex's damage Friday morning. "It was like a war zone."The wildfires are the state's deadliest natural disaster since a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people.
Hawaii emergency management records show no indication that warning sirens sounded before people had to run for their lives. Instead, officials sent alerts to mobile phones, televisions and radio stations - but widespread power and cellular outages may have limited their reach.Flash drought, invasive grasses, winds, hurricane and climate change fuel Maui's devastating fires
Fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, at least three wildfires erupted on Maui this week, racing through parched brush covering the island. The report also noted that West Maui had the island's second-highest rate of households without a vehicle and the highest rate of non-English speakers.
Those crews have about 13 fire engines and two ladder trucks, but the department does not have any off-road vehicles, he said. That means fire crews can't attack brush fires thoroughly before they reach roads or populated areas.
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