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(TJV/Breitbart) The death toll from the wildfires that have ravaged vast parts of the west coast of Hawaii’s Maui island over the past 48-hours stood at 53 late Thursday night. Authorities have warned the count is expected to rise.
🇺🇸 Footage is circulating on the web of how people in Hawaii are escaping forest fires in the ocean
The death toll has risen to 55 and could rise, local authorities said.
🤦♂️ Meanwhile Biden: I’ll ask Congress for $24 billion to “help” Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/swCBJrvwCp
— Zlatti71 (@djuric_zlatko) August 11, 2023
“In 1960 we had 61 fatalities when a large wave came through Big Island,” Governor Josh Green said, referring to a tragedy that struck a year after Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state.
Aerial shots show the devastation in Lahaina after wildfires tore through the island of Maui, in the US state of Hawaii. pic.twitter.com/ym2EWJonwN
— Sprinter (@Sprinter99800) August 11, 2023
“This time, it’s very likely that our death totals will significantly exceed that.”
#Hawaii fire survivor recounts the night at sea with wife and five children “We held on”…
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Video credit – The Guardian#Hawaii #hawaiifires #MauiFires #Maui#LahainaFires #Lahaina #Help pic.twitter.com/dzTM2sQLO7— Shadab Javed (@JShadab1) August 11, 2023
Green said around 1,700 buildings were now believed to have been affected by the blaze, as Breitbart News reported.
Oprah visited War Memorial gym, Maui. Interacted and helped #Maui wildfire survivors.
Video Credit – Hawaiinewsreport #Maui #Mauifires #Hawaii #Hawaiifires #LahainaFires #Lahaina pic.twitter.com/4fccTmYA5c— Shadab Javed (@JShadab1) August 11, 2023
Historic Lahaina township itself lay in charred, smoking ruins, with Green saying 80 percent of the town was gone.
“There is no doubt everyone would describe this as though a bomb hit Lahaina,” he said. “It looks like total devastation; buildings that we’ve all enjoyed and celebrated together for decades, for generations, are completely destroyed.”
Grabe nangyari sa HAWAII, sending prayers to all the individuals out there 🙏 pic.twitter.com/XCbSyrutMh
— dimps❤️💚 🇵🇭 (@Sultress2022) August 11, 2023
U.S. Coast Guard commander Aja Kirksey told CNN around 100 people were believed to have jumped into the water in a desperate effort to flee the fast-moving flames as they tore through Lahaina.
#Maui #fire 👀
While Biden allocates billions to Ukraine, Americans are dying in #Hawaii due to forest fires. pic.twitter.com/GLaureslm3— Mahmood Khan (@Mahmood88239370) August 11, 2023
Kirksey said helicopter pilots struggled to see because of the dense smoke pouring from the huge fire, but that a Coast Guard vessel had been able to rescue more than 50 people from the water.
“It was a really rapidly developing scene and pretty harrowing for the victims that had to jump into the water,” she added.
The banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui was planted in 1873 and was not only the largest in the Hawaii but also in the United States.
Still standing, but seriously damaged by the wildfires from August 8–9.
Disaster recovery efforts are underwaypic.twitter.com/yQaKSlTjhb
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) August 11, 2023
Thousands of people have already been evacuated from Maui, with 1,400 people waiting at the main airport in Kahului overnight, hoping to get out.
Maui County has asked visitors to leave “as soon as possible,” and organized buses to move evacuees from shelters to the airport.
The island hosts around a third of all the visitors who holiday in the state, and their dollars are vital for the local economy.
