Before and after photos of scorched remains
Wildfires have devastated the city of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui, leaving the popular tourist attraction a scorched hellscape, with only steaming pile of ash remaining.
At least 36 people have died from the devastating fires — fuelled by winds from Hurricane Dora hundreds of miles away — as it made its path through neighborhoods, causing residents to have to take shelter in the ocean to survive.
At least 14 people, including two children, have been rescued from the water.
Others have suffered burns and other injuries from trying to save themselves from the rapidly spreading disaster.
Before and after photos show the devastation left behind, with entire neighborhoods razed to the ground.
Helicopter Pilot Richard Olsten, who has flown tourists above the island for 50 years, said the area looked like it was “bombed.”
“It’s like a war,” he told Hawaii News Now.
What we know about the Maui Wildfires
At least 36 people have died in the wake of the Maui wildfires that started late Tuesday.
“We’ve still got dead bodies floating on the seawall,” one Lahaina resident told Hawaii News Now. “They’ve been sitting there since last night.”
The wildfires, fanned by strong winds have burned multiple buildings, forced evacuations, and caused power outages in several communities.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora was partly to blame for the strong winds that knocked out power as night came. About 13,000 residents in Maui are without power, according to reports.
People are rushing to the ocean to escape the smoke and flames fanned by Hurricane Dora.
Fire crews in Maui are battling multiple fires in the popular tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. Firefighters have struggled to reach some areas that were cut off by downed trees and power lines.
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Nearly 300 structures, including popular tourist attractions and historic buildings, have been destroyed by the wildfires and rubble has begun to pile high next to the waterfront as homes, boats, and nature has been torched to lifeless frames.
More than 11,000 have been evacuated and airlines are offering discounted flights to help get people off the island as satellite images show nothing but charred remains and a “decimated” scene behind.
Hurricane Dora is partly to blame for the rapidly moving flames as the storm’s strong winds off the coast are creating problems for authorities to contain the fire.