There are currently areas on the island of Maui that cannot be reached by emergency services and where 911 is not connected.
Inka Haukka,
Hilma Toivonen
At least six people have been killed in wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii, according to the mayor of Maui Richard Bissen.
Wildfires have been raging on the Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday completely out of control, reports for example news agency CNN. The fires have spread so quickly and unexpectedly that in some places people have fled to the sea for safety.
On the west side of the island of Maui is the tourist destination of Lahaina, which is currently only accessible via one highway.
Controlling the fires is partly made difficult by Hurricane Dora raging about 1,300 kilometers southwest of Hawaii. The strong winds it creates make the fire spread faster on the islands.
There are currently several areas on the island of Maui that emergency services cannot access and where 911 is out of service.
Lieutenant Governor of Hawaii Sylvia Luke told CNN Wednesday morning that Maui’s hospitals are at capacity and people should be able to be flown off-island for treatment.
Maui alone currently has 14,000 households without power as a result of the storms.
Among other things, the news agency Reuters has published a video of wildfires on Twitter.
The news is updated.
Sources: Reuters, AFP