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Wildfires devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui this week, killing at least 80 people and burning more than 2,100 acres of land as of Saturday.
2023-08-12
The County of Maui on Saturday confirmed the number of fatalities in a statement that said firefighters are continuing to extinguish flare-ups and contain fires around the island. The wildfires have left destruction in their wake, including in the historic town of Lahaina.
The Pacific Disaster Center said that as of Friday, the Lahaina Fire resulted in an estimated 2,719 structures exposed, 2,207 structures damaged or destroyed, and 2,170 acres burned. The wildfires began on August 8.
In Lahaina, the wildfires destroyed buildings, cars, and local greenery, forcing residents to flee the area.
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui.PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images
The wildfires on Maui completely gutted this waterfront building.
A gutted building in Lahaina after the wildfires this week.PAULA RAMON/Getty Images
Wildfires scorched the 150-year-old banyan tree in front of the town's courthouse, exemplifying their dire environmental fallout.
A view of Lahaina's historic banyan tree following the wildfires in Maui.SENATOR BRIAN SCHATZ VIA X/Reuters
Two Lahaina residents were photographed wearing masks and sifting through the ashes of their homes.
Two Maui residents look through the ashes of their family home after the wildfires this week.PATRICK T. FALLON/Getty Images
In Kula, a district about an hour inland, a woman wore a face mask and boots to look through the remains of a downed home.
A resident looks through the charred remains of a home that was destroyed by a wildfire on August 11, 2023 in Kula, Hawaii.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Amid the destruction, residents have rallied together to gather resources. In Kahului, which is around 40 minutes inland, volunteers brought donations to King’s Cathedral Maui.
Volunteers with King's Cathedral Maui unload a donation of clothing on August 10, 2023 in Kahului, Hawaii.Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Dozens of residents in Kahana, just over 10 minutes north of Lahaina, stood in line to transport resources from a boat to the island.
Dozens of local residents of Kahana line up and step into the water to help pass down the supplies to shore in Kahana, Hawaii on August 11, 2023.The Washington Post/Getty Images
Many residents lost their homes in the wildfires. Some have found shelter at the War Memorial Stadium in Kahului.
Local residents who were displaced by the wildfires at the War Memorial Stadium in Kahului, Hawaii on August 10, 2023.The Washington Post/Getty Images
An aerial photo shows Maui's downtown Lahaina still smoldering after wildfires ripped across the island.
Buildings destroyed days after a wildfire gutted downtown Lahaina on August 11, 2023.Robert Gauthier/Getty Images
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