36 dead, 11,000 flee as wildfires rip through Maui in ‘unprecedented disaster’

150,000 gallons of water and military helicopters battled blazes

The fight to suppress the wild fires blazing on Maui has used more than 150,000 gallons of water used so far, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, who is leading the military response, told a news conference Thursday night.

Helicopters have been battling the flames, but their intervention was delayed by high winds of up to 85mph on Wednesday, which are too strong for helicopters to fly, he said.

At least 36 killed in Maui County fires, officials confirm

The death toll in Maui County has risen to 36, according to a statement from the county Thursday, which said the bodies had been discovered during firefighting efforts against the Lahaina fire.

It added that “no other details are available at this time.”

Acting Gov. Sylvia Luke: ‘The road to recovery will be long’

Aug. 10, 202300:57

11,000 people already evacuated from Maui, more to leave Friday

More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from Maui since the devastating wildfires caused untold destruction on the island this week.

Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaii Department of Transport, told a news conference after 8 p.m. Wednesday local time (3 a.m. Thursday ET) that 11,400 people had been flown out so far, with 2,000 expected to leave Friday.

Some 600 people were staying at the airport overnight in anticipation of leaving on the first flight available, he said. More people would have left Maui, he said, but the main highway was closed due to the ferocity of the flames, though it has since reopened.

Fire, smoke and chaos — a closeup view of Maui’s inferno

Miguel Almaguer

MAUI — As the fast-moving wildfires ripped through the west of Maui, some people resorted to sprinting down to the Pacific Ocean and jumping in the water to escape the roaring flames.

“I was the last one off the dock,” Dustin Johnson said. “When the firestorm came through,” he added, it “took everything with it.”

The Coast Guard said it plucked around a dozen people out of the ocean, with the fires spreading right down to the water and destroying boats.

NBC News was able to reach this former tourist paradise turned fiery hellscape and see the destruction being wrought in real time. Deep orange flames and thick black smoke dominated this once-tropical idyll, where many people have lost everything.

At least six people have been killed in the rapidly spreading flames, with first responders unable to reach some areas and authorities are fearful they will find more bodies among the rubble of destroyed buildings.

“When you see, you know, some auntie on the ground, probably dead, and you can’t get in contact with your family, you just think the worst,” said Clint Hansen, another of those attempting to escape.

As hospitals filled up with wounded people, cell coverage and power was down in some areas, creating chaos amid the panic. Late Wednesday, authorities here said 4,000 people are trying to evacuate the island, as three major fires still rage.

Former President Obama says he’s thinking of those affected, shares way to help

Former President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle are thinking of all those affected by the wildfires in the state of Hawaii, and shared a way to help with his more than 131 million followers on social media.

Obama was born in Honolulu and spent his childhood there, although for a time he was in Indonesia.

“Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down,” Obama wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Wildfire decimates Lahaina, once the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom

A historic seaside town that once was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii has been largely reduced to ash as wildfires continued to rip through the state Wednesday. 

Hawaiians say Lahaina’s disaster leaves them mourning the loss of a place dense with Native Hawaiian history and culture — and they’re bracing for what the tragedy will mean for their communities in the long term. 

“People are worried about their loved ones, their homes, their businesses, their jobs,” said David Aiona Chang, who is Native Hawaiian and a professor of history at the University of Minnesota. “So many of the disasters that hit Hawaii hit Native Hawaiians the hardest. It’s something that we are going to be dealing with for a long time.”

Read the full story here.

Satellite images capture devastation in Lahaina from wildfires

Satellite images captured the devastation on Maui Wednesday after a wildfire tore through Lahaina, a popular vacation destination on the island’s west coast that was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.

In one image from the company Maxar Technologies, the historic area of Banyan Court — home to the island’s oldest living banyan tree, at 150 years old — appears to have mostly been reduced to ash.

Other images showed similar devastation in and around Lahaina Square, a shopping area, and a neighborhood on the southern end of the town.

Read the full story here.

Coast Guard rescued 14 who took shelter in ocean from Maui wildfire

With a wildfire fueled by winds from a passing hurricane destroying the Maui town of Lahaina, 14 people escaped the flames and smoke by heading to the ocean, officials said Wednesday.

The 14 people were rescued by the Coast Guard from a breakwall by Lahaina harbor Tuesday evening, after boats and aircraft were sent to help, the Coast Guard said in a statement Wednesday.

The reports to the Coast Guard “regarding multiple persons in the water needing rescue after taking shelter from fire and smoke in Lahaina” prompted the dispatch of a cutter, a 45-foot boat, and helicopters, the agency said.

Read the full story here.