Hawaii fires: at least 36 killed as wildfire sweeps through Maui - latest updates | Hawaii | The Guardian
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At least 36 people killed in Lahaina as wildfire sweeps through
Abene Clayton
Here is our latest full report on the fires, from my colleague Abene Clayton:
Lahaina, a historic town on Maui, has been decimated, leaving residents reeling at the loss of homes, nature and human life. At least 36 people have been killed in the blaze and dozens more have been reported injured. The ashy, charred landscape has been described as apocalyptic.
In the 1700s, Lahaina was established as the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. The town became one of the main ports for the North Pacific whaling fleet and later, as the whaling industry began to collapse, transitioned to a sugar plantation town.
The downtown area and Front Street was designated a national historic landmark in 1962 and many of the buildings had been preserved and were open to the public. However the wildfire that erupted in the middle of the night brought widespread destruction to the area.
A satellite image shows an overview of an area in Lahaina, Maui. Photograph: Maxar Technologies/Reuters
Photos posted by the county showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection and leaping above historic buildings. It was not immediately known how many structures have burned or how many people have been evacuated. The unprecedented blazes were fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora.
A casualty of the inferno is the 150 year-old Lahaina Banyan tree, that at its peak stood at 60ft high with branches that extended across an entire city block. Though the tree appears to have survived the fire and is still standing, according to local social media commenters, it has been severely damaged by the flames.
You can read more here: 'Like a bomb went off': Maui wildfires decimate historic town of Lahaina
'Like a bomb went off': Maui wildfires decimate historic town of LahainaRead more.
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Most everything is gone including the old Banyan Tree (heavy damage) downtown, cultural sites, homes, businesses, boats, and cars.
We stayed at the ''Pioneer Inn'' a historic hotel in old Lahaina Town a number of times, it too is gone.
sad. maui is the only part of hawaii I've ever visited...
I saw a clip on CNN a little while ago. The devastation of entire neighborhoods there from fire makes what we see in the aftermath of a destructive tornado look like childs play. This is more like the aftermath of Hiroshima.
It is totally overwhelming, JR.
Entire blocks of residential housing and storefronts just burned to the ground. It is a stunning image.
So... The Westboro Baptists were right? Did their evil god destroy Hawaii? They were only off by a couple of days.
they probably started the fire...
Yeah, I was thinking that too. They were there.
Maui is a beautiful island, and I had many fun nights hanging out in Lahaina Town. This is an immense tragedy and seems at least as bad, if not worse, than the devastation inflicted by the hurricanes. Kauai, which was like my second home for many years, suffered greatly from some of the hurricanes.
What caused the fire?
I've seen nothing that has pin pointed the cause, Trout.
Sadly the latest reports from Maui are 53 dead and 1,000 structures damaged or destroyed. An unknown number of autos and boats were destroyed.