Hawaii: At least 53 victims in catastrophic fires

They expect this to be the deadliest natural disaster in the US state of Hawaii since 1961, when a tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island. Voice of America reports.

More than 1.000 structures were destroyed in the fires that continue to burn in Lahaina and surrounding areas.

The fires, fanned by the winds of Hurricane Dora, engulfed the island of Maui on Tuesday night and spread rapidly. So far, around 11 people have been evacuated.

Hawaii Fires

 "Lahaina is almost completely burned", Hawaii Governor Josh Green told The Associated Press.

Lahaina is one of the main tourist attractions of Maui and annually attracts 2 million tourists. In the western part of Maui, where Lahaina is located, entire neighborhoods were reduced to ashes, Voice of America reports.

Disaster declaration

About 165 thousand people live on Maui. Over 11 houses are without electricity, the local electricity distribution company announced. On Tuesday, the Coast Guard was rescuing people who were fleeing the fire and smoke into the ocean.

Hawaii Fires

US President Joe Biden has approved the declaration of a state of natural disaster in Hawaii, paving the way for residents and businesses in the threatened area to request federal aid for reconstruction, the White House said. The president said Wednesday night that all federal resources are available to Hawaii, and that the Coast Guard and Navy are assisting in rescue efforts.

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"This is the worst disaster I have ever seen." The whole bastard of Lahaina burned to the ground. This is like an apocalypse," said resident Mason Harvey, who managed to escape the city.

Hawaii Fires

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing south of the island at a safe distance of 800 kilometers, partially caused wind gusts of nearly 100 kilometers per hour that knocked out power and grounded firefighting helicopters.

You can read the entire text about the Haviam fires on the portal Voice of America.

JH/Voice of America