2023-08-11 06:29:11
The number of people killed by the active forest fire that is affecting Hawaii and particularly the town of Lahaina, located on the island of Maui, rises to 53.
“As suppression efforts continue, 17 more deaths have been confirmed on the active Lahaina fire,” Maui County reported Thursday afternoon on its website.
“As suppression efforts continue, 17 more deaths have been confirmed on the active Lahaina fire,” Maui County reported Thursday afternoon on its website.
SEE MORE Due to fires, the United States declares a disaster area in Hawaii
Widespread devastation is being seen in many neighborhoods
The office had detailed in the morning that the fire that devastated Lahaina was 80% controlled, while the Pulehu fire -in the Kihei area- was 70% controlled and the containment of the unleashed in the Upcountry area it was still being evaluated by firefighters.
According to the new statement, there have been no changes in this regard.
The first official death count was released on Wednesday afternoon with the figure of 36 deaths, while 14 people were rescued by the Coast Guard after dozens escaped the flames by jumping into the sea.
According to the Hawaii Tourism Authority, 14,500 people are expected to leave the island this Thursday, adding to the 14,000 already evacuated on Maui.
The airlines are offering tickets at reduced prices to facilitate departure, while new flights from this tourist island are finalized.
In addition, this Thursday, US President Joe Biden declared a disaster situation in Hawaii and ordered the shipment of federal aid to complement state and local recovery efforts in areas affected by wildfires that began on Tuesday, August 8. .
Biden also ordered US National Guard and US Third Fleet personnel in Hawaii to they did their best to help local authorities.
The images show completely destroyed areas and the Civil Air Patrol detailed that almost 300 structures had been hit by the fire.
The severe drought that has affected the islands in recent months, as well as the strong winds from Hurricane Dora, have caused the flames to spread at a much faster rate, according to local authorities.
General Kenneth Hara, deputy head of the National Guard in Hawaii, also explained that the force of the winds makes firefighting difficult.
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