‘Like a War Zone’: Videos Show Wildfire Aftermath in Maui Town of Lahaina

As deadly wildfires rage through the Hawaiian island of Maui, videos shared on social media depict the devastation to the historic town of Lahaina.

The fast-moving fires have killed at least six people and injured dozens more on the island, Richard Bissen, Jr., mayor of Maui County, said at a press conference on Wednesday. With three separate blazes still uncontained on the island, local officials said they expect those numbers to climb. Search and rescue crews were still looking for more people as of Wednesday evening.

The wildfires had forced thousands to evacuate and stranded more than 2,000 people at the Kahului Airport after roads were closed due to hazardous conditions. The airport also serves as a shelter for those who are fleeing the blaze, the Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) said on social media.

Newsweek reached out several social media users who shared videos from Maui on X, formerly Twitter. Newsweek also reached out via email Wednesday to Maui County officials for comment.

Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui have pummeled the region, killing at least six people and injuring dozens more, local officials confirmed. TonyFuse/Getty

Fire crews have been battling multiple bush blazes on Maui, with three still uncontained as of Wednesday, Mahina Martin, chief of communications and public affairs for the island of Maui, confirmed previously to Newsweek.

“The magnitude of the fires and the fast moving swiftness of the fires have caused evacuations in all three areas throughout yesterday and overnight,” Martin said.

Videos show the destruction in the western region of the island, which is popular with tourists, as well as mountainous areas inland. Fires on the island of Hawaii, to the southeast of Maui, have also been recorded.

The fires spreading across Hawaii, caused by hot and dry conditions and exacerbated by winds from Hurricane Dora, come amid a series of heat wave-induced wildfires that have popped up across the Southwest United States, Canada and Europe. Earlier this month, an 80,000-acre wildfire tore across California and Nevada, and in June, a wildfire near Phoenix, Arizona, blazed through roughly 2,000 acres.

The Hawaii fires have wreaked havoc on the small town of Lahaina, with videos showing parts of the popular tourist town have been decimated.

Lahaina, a coastal resort town on the western side of the island, was once the royal capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom and a whaling village. The Maui destination spot, with roughly 12,000 residents, has been hit particularly hard, according to video footage of Lahaina shared on social media. Officials said roads into the town are closed.

While the full scope of the devastation in Lahaina was unknown as of Wednesday night, locals said much of the historic town appears to be gone, according to local media.

Richard Olsten, a helicopter pilot who flew over Lahaina on Wednesday morning, told local news outlet Hawaii News Now that it looked like the area was “bombed.”

“It’s like a war zone,” he said.

The intersection of Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass is pictured on Wednesday as the wildfires continue raging. Zeke Kalua/County of Maui

Several clips shared Wednesday on X show fires engulfing the town’s Front Street, a popular spot filled with restaurants and shops.

The blaze sent people fleeing into the ocean late Tuesday night, with the U.S. Coast Guard in Hawaii confirming on Wednesday that a 45-foot response boat had rescued 12 people from the waters off Lahaina.

The flames destroyed dozens of homes and businesses in the historic town, according to videos shared on social media.

In one shocking clip, the video shows the aftermath of the blaze on Front Street, where structures were reduced to rubble and ash and vehicles were left smoldering.

X user nohea_d walked around the area, showing the devastation in a nearly two-minute video shared just before 5 p.m. Wednesday EST.

“Front Street Lahaina from the ground,” nohea_d said in the post. “Everything is gone.”

Another clip shared by nohea_d shows two minutes of aerial footage of the wildfire’s aftermath.

“Lahaina Civic Center to Puamana total destruction,” nohea_d said in the post, with a crying emoji.

An aerial video captured from a helicopter shows structures destroyed by the flames, including dozens of homes.

“Lahaina is no more,” user David Ho said in the post on X.

AccuWeather shared a video from Lahaina Harbor that shows the costal town smoldering. In the clip, shared Wednesday afternoon on X, thick black smoke fills the sky.

“Devastating scenes from Lahaina Harbor as wildfires rip through Maui,” AccuWeather said in the post. “Wind gusts of more than 70 mph helped fan the flames.”