Several people have died in the devastating forest fires that have ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui for several days.
The fire has hit the island’s popular tourist destination and former capital Lahaina, which is on the island’s western side, hard. Large parts of the city have been destroyed and several homes have burned to the ground on Wednesday, Reuters reports.
Overcrowded hospitals
At least another 30 people have been injured and the hospitals on the island are overflowing with burn and smoke damage patients, writes CNN.
– We have to fly people out to give them care, says Deputy Governor Sylvia Luke to CNN.
Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate from the western side of the island. Several residents have also tried to escape the flames by swimming straight into the Pacific Ocean, according to Reuters. At least 14 people have been rescued from the water by the coast guard.
On Tuesday, the authorities declared a state of emergency, among other things to be able to stop flights with tourists from landing on the island. At least 4,000 tourists are said to have tried to leave the island.
The telephone network is out
The evacuation has been greatly complicated by power outages and the fact that all telephony has been cut off in the affected area. It is therefore also unclear how many people are actually in danger.
According to the island’s mayor Richard Bissen, the death toll is feared to rise.
– We are still in a situation where we are looking for people in need, so I don’t know where the number will end, he says during a press conference.