Maui fires live updates: At least 36 dead as thousands flee ‘unprecedented’ disaster
Maui #Maui
Vice President Kamala Harris offers message of support to Maui victims
Vice President Kamala Harris offered her support and prayers to Maui wildfire victims Thursday.
“Doug and I are thinking about the families and communities devastated by the wildfires in Lahaina and across Maui,” she tweeted. “We pray for the heroic first responders who are fighting to protect the island and save lives.”
“Our Administration has ordered federal support for response and rescue efforts in Hawaii, and we urge all residents to follow local alerts and instructions during this difficult time,” she added.
Hawaiian Airlines providing $19 flights for evacuees
Hawaiian Airlines announced in a tweet Wednesday that they will continue to operate flights to and from Maui for urgent travel until Friday for guests to Honolulu for $19.
The airline said it is also “coordinating with the state, county and non-profits to transport first responders, equipment and supplies to Maui.”
Lahaina was once the political, economic center of the Hawaiian Kingdom
The town of Lahaina, which has been largely reduced to ash as wildfires continue to devastate the area, was once the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii.
It was recognized as the kingdom’s political center in 1802, after King Kamehameha conquered several islands on the archipelago. Throughout the 1800s, the whaling and fishing industries in the area took off, making Lahaina a global trade hub.
It remained a political center of Hawaii until the capital was moved to Honolulu in 1845 and the U.S. began its efforts to colonize the kingdom, eventually usurping its government in 1887 and overthrowing the queen in a coup years later.
“Our home is on fire right now. There needs to be more action and more investment,” said Kaniela Ing, who’s seventh-generation Kānaka Maoli, or indigenous Hawaiian, and grew up in the area. “People hit first and worse by the climate crisis tend to be Black, indigenous and low income. Yet we’re the keepers of the knowledge of how to build a society that wouldn’t cause ecological collapse and societal doom.”
Severe drought conditions rose this week in Maui County
About 16% of Maui County’s population was under “severe drought” conditions Tuesday, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor released Thursday.
That’s an uptick from 5.6% of the county that was under severe drought conditions last week.
Drought levels across Hawaii also increased since last week with statewide moderate drought levels rising from 6% to 14%, according to agency data.
The increased drought severity may have contributed to the dry vegetation, which, coupled with Dora’s winds and low humidity, caught fire.
Almost 11,000 customers still without power in Maui
As of 4 a.m. local time (10 a.m. ET) Thursday, over 10,900 customers are without power in Maui, according to PowerOutage.us.
That’s a decrease from the 12,400 customers who were offline in West Maui on Wednesday afternoon.
There are no other major outages across the Hawaiian islands.
Hawaiian Electric asked for “patience” in Maui on Wednesday, saying it would “move our restoration efforts to other areas if and as they become safe and accessible.”
Lahaina with little internet access after fires
Lahaina’s access to the internet has been almost entirely severed due to the recent fires.
NetBlocks, a digital watchdog that tracks internet access, said Thursday that the community “remains largely disconnected from the internet” and that the outages are likely to hinder rescue efforts.
Evacuations, alerts lifted in Big Island
All mandatory evacuations were lifted as of 8 p.m. local time Wednesday (2 a.m. ET Thursday) in Big Island. The worst of the wildfires are blazing in the island of Maui.
In Big Island, all roads were opened to traffic and emergency evacuation shelters were closed.
San Francisco mayor was in Maui when wildfires erupted
San Francisco Mayor London Breed was in Maui for a personal trip when the wildfires exploded, her office said Thursday.
The mayor left the island and is now in Oahu, following the Hawaii governor’s order encouraging visitors to depart the island due to the blazes.
“The Mayor was never in danger. This wildfire is devastating to witness and our thoughts are with the people of Maui,” press secretary Parisa Safarzadeh said in a statement.
Officials warn wildfire death toll could climb
Officials in Hawaii warned Thursday that the death toll — already at 36 — could rise, with the fires still burning and teams spreading out to search charred areas.
Search and rescue teams are fanning out in the devastated areas in the hopes of finding survivors, Adam Weintraub, communications director for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”
Addressing the fear that there could be additional deaths, he acknowledged that “these were large and fast-moving fires, and it’s only recently that we’ve started to get our arms around them and contain them. So, we’re hoping for the best, but we’re prepared for the worst.”
Aerials show extent of Maui wildfires How Maui’s fire death toll compares to California’s past deadly wildfires
Thirty-six people have died in the Maui County wildfires, officials said Thursday, as blazes continue to rage in the Hawaiian island.
In comparison to California’s history of destructive and deadly fires, it ranks second on the list of the top 20 deadliest.
The 2018 Camp Fire killed 85, the 1993 Griffith Park blaze killed 29, and the Tunnel Fire of 1991 left 25 dead, according to Cal Fire records.
The fires in Maui also outpace the death toll of recent wildfires including the 2017 Tubbs Fire in Northern California that killed 22, the 2020 North Complex Fire that killed 16 and the LNU Complex Fire, also in 2020, that left six dead.
Airline companies sending planes to help evacuate stranded passengers
United Airlines and American Airlines said Thursday they are sending planes to Maui to evacuate passengers whose travel plans were upended by wildfires blazing in the island.
“We’ve canceled today’s inbound flights to Kahului Airport so our planes can fly empty to Maui and be used as passenger flights back to the mainland,” United said in a statement.
The airline said it’s monitoring the situation “closely” and “emphasizing safety as always and checking on the welfare of our employees on Maui.”
American Airlines said it expects to operate all of Thursday’s scheduled flights to and from Kahului Airport.
The airline said it “added an additional flight and upgraded an aircraft today to ensure customers evacuating are able to do so.”
American Airlines customers whose travel plans were affected by the wildfires are able to rebook without fees, cancel or receive a refund.
Despite weather warnings, fires were impossible to predict: Hawaii official
Warnings of high winds and the potential for extreme fire behavior were issued Tuesday, but where the fires would spark was impossible to predict, Adam Weintraub, Emergency Management Agency Communication director, said Thursday.
“You can’t tell exactly where a tree is going to go down. You can’t tell when a roof is going to come off and land on a power line. You can’t tell when somebody’s going to hit a rock with a lawn mower and spark a blaze,” he said on NBC’s “TODAY” show Thursday.
“We were seeing gusty winds that were up to 80 mph and when you get a flame in dry vegetation, in low humidity, in that kind of a wind environment, the flames can go anywhere,” he said.
Efforts to quell the flames and get people to safety continue.
“We are hoping for the best but we’re not sure what the outcome will be,” he said.
When will the winds subside? 3 active fires burning in Maui
Three fires remain active in Maui in Lahaina, Pulehu and Upcountry, the County of Maui said in a 10:30 p.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) update.
The Maui Fire Department reported “no significant changes” on the three fires, and there are no new evacuations. No containment estimates were available.
The fire department will conduct an assessment at first light Thursday, officials said.
The county said firefighters have been facing “multiple flare-ups” and additional firefighters were requested from Honolulu. Overnight, 30 U.S. Army service members arrived on the island and will conduct search and recovery efforts Thursday morning.
‘Minutes to escape’: Maui resident recalls fleeing home and reuniting with family
Maui resident Dustin Kaleiopu said he and his family had just “minutes to escape” their home before fire consumed it.
At first, Tuesday morning seemed normal; it was windy and the electricity went out, which isn’t uncommon, Kaleiopu told NBC’s “TODAY” on Thursday.
“By 3:30 p.m., the smoke had started to get thicker … and it started to make its way closer to our home. We could hear the explosions happening around the block from the gas station and from businesses. By 4:30 p.m., our neighbor’s yard was on fire,” he said.
“We had minutes to escape because an hour later, we would find out that our home had burned completely to the ground,” he added.
His father, who had no way of communicating with Kaleiopu, had returned to the home after work to search for his family, and found the house “completely burned to the ground.”
Kaleiopu’s brother waited on the side of a highway on his father’s route home and flagged him down and the family was ultimately reunited, he said.
Kaleiopu said that in a matter of just 36 hours, his town is gone and his world as he knew it altered.
“Every single person that I work with, the people that I see at the bank, the grocery store, everyone I know is now homeless. In 36 hours, our town has been burnt to ash. There’s nothing left,” he said.
Emergency shelters provide refuge from wildfires in Kihei, HawaiiPhoto: Stranded passengers at Kahului Airport in Maui
Passengers try to sleep below a “Welcome To Maui” billboard while waiting for delayed and canceled flights at the Kahului Airport on Wednesday.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images‘It’s like an apocalypse’: Lahaina resident describes Maui wildfires’ aftermath More than 2,000 people are seeking refuge in shelters
Some 2,100 people are staying in shelters in Maui overnight following a mass evacuation of residents and tourists, Maui County has confirmed.
Tourists were evacuated from the Sheraton Maui Resort in Ka’anapali on Wednesday, and evacuations would resume Thursday, according to the statement posted around 4:45 a.m. ET.
Service members from the U.S. Army arrived Wednesday night and were “conducting search and recovery efforts” early Wednesday, the statement said.
Lahaina resident overcome with grief after losing her home
Steff Baku-Kirkman covers her face after hearing reports her home and her pets were destroyed, in Lahaina on Wednesday.
Marco Garcia / ReutersWarning of high winds lifted as effects of Dora ease
A warning of high winds across Hawaii was lifted early Thursday, as the effects of Dora begin to ease.
A high pressure weather system will bring “moderate to locally breezy trade winds across the region,” but wind speeds will decrease to moderate throughout Thursday, the National Weather Service in Honolulu said in an update.
Winds of up to 85 mph had stopped helicopters dropping water on the raging fires in Maui until Wednesday, when some 150,000 gallons were used to battel the flames.
Smoke fills the air on Lahaina shoreline
Smoke billows as wildfires driven by high winds destroy a large part of the historic town of Lahaina on Wednesday
Dustin Johnson / via ReutersTourism chief: Maui is devastated, but the rest of Hawaii is open
While the intense fires still rage in Maui, Hawaiian authorities are keen to tell the world that it is business as usual for the rest of the islands.
“What happened in western Maui is devastating. It’s really, really sad and our prayers go out the families. But I also want people know who are traveling to Hawaii and who are already here, the rest of Hawaii is open,” Jimmy Tokioka, director of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, told a news conference Thursday.
More than 11,000 people have been evacuated from Maui so far and at least 36 people have been confirmed dead.
What ignited Maui’s wildfires and why did they spread so fast? 150,000 gallons of water and military helicopters battled blazes
The fight to suppress the wildfires blazing in Maui has used more than 150,000 gallons of water so far, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, who is leading the military response, told a news conference Wednesday night.
Helicopters have been battling the flames, but their intervention Wednesday was delayed by high winds of up to 85 mph, 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’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
MAUI — As the fast-moving wildfires ripped through the west of Maui, some people resorted to sprinting down to the Pacific Ocean and jumping into 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 were 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.
Obama says he’s thinking of those affected, shares way to help
Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama 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 ashes 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 fire devastation in Lahaina
Satellite images captured the devastation in Maui on 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 ashes.
Satellite images show southern Lahaina, Maui, on June 25, left, and Wednesday, right.Satellite image ©2023 Maxar Technologies
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 rescues 14 who took shelter in ocean from Maui wildfires
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.
Wildfire smoke rises at Lahaina harbor in Hawaii, on Tuesday.Brantin Stevens via AP
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.