A fast-moving wildfire forced people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. The exact cause of the blaze is unknown, but high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation may have contributed. The death toll could rise.
A wildfire tore through the heart of the Hawaiian island of Maui in darkness Wednesday, reducing much of a historic town to ash and forcing people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames. At least six people died, dozens were wounded and 271 structures were damaged or destroyed.
Flyovers Wednesday of the town of Lahaina by the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and the Maui Fire Department showed the extent of the devastation, said Mahina Martin, a spokesperson for Maui County.
The fires continued to burn Wednesday afternoon, fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora as it passed well south of the Hawaiian islands. Officials feared the death toll could rise.
As winds diminished somewhat, some aircraft resumed flights, enabling pilots to view the full scope of the devastation. Aerial video from coastal Lahaina showed dozens of homes and businesses flattened, including on Front Street, where tourists gathered to shop and dine. Smoking heaps of rubble lay piled high next to the waterfront, boats in the harbor were scorched, and gray smoke hovered over the leafless skeletons of charred trees.
“It’s horrifying. I’ve flown here 52 years and I’ve never seen anything come close to that,” said Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot for a tour company. “We had tears in our eyes, the other pilots on board and the mechanics, and me.”
Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke said the flames “wiped out communities,” and urged travelers to stay away.
“This is not a safe place to be,” she said.
The exact cause of the blaze couldn’t be determined, but a number of factors, including high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation, likely contributed, said Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, adjutant general for Hawaii State Department of Defense. Experts also said climate change is increasing the likelihood of more extreme weather.
“Climate change in many parts of the world is increasing vegetation dryness, in large part because temperatures are hotter,” said Erica Fleishman, director of the Oregon Climate Change Research Institute at Oregon State University. “Even if you have the same amount of precipitation, if you have higher temperatures, things dry out faster.
