At least 36 people died, a sudden fire broke out! Tourist Town Transforms into Ruins and Wildfires | Sea Area | Town
According to Agence France Presse on August 10th, a local government department reported that a wildfire that flattened a small town in Hawaii, USA, has caused at least 36 deaths. Desperate people jumped into the sea to avoid the rapidly spreading fire.
In a previous report by Agence France Presse, it was reported that at least 12 people were rescued from the water by US Coast Guard officers as emergency rescue agencies were overwhelmed by the seemingly unforeseeable disaster.
"We are still in search and rescue mode, so I don't know how this number will change," said Richard Bison, the mayor of Maui County in Hawaii, at a press conference
Hawaii's Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency notice, stating that the hospital system on Maui Island is "overwhelmed by receiving too many patients with burns and inhaling smoke.".
She said, "The 911 emergency phone service has been interrupted, and the communication service has been interrupted."
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that the tourist town of La Haina, with a population of 12000 at the northwest end of Maui Island, has turned into ruins. Green said, "Many areas in Rahaina, Maui have been burned down, and hundreds of local families have been relocated."
Videos posted on social media show that the fire tore apart the central area of this seaside town, with huge black smoke columns soaring into the sky.
Major General Kenneth Hara of the US Army said, "Someone jumped into the sea to avoid the fire."
The US Coast Guard said it has "successfully rescued 12 people from the waters near La Haina" and is dispatching other ships to Maui Island.
Hara said that strong winds prevented helicopters from carrying out rescue or firefighting operations.
Lahaina resident Claire Kent said she saw her community burned down less than an hour after escaping. She said, "The fire has been spreading to the end of the community."
Kent said, "We were retreating at the time... onto the highway, and when we turned around, we could see cars on both sides of the road catching fire, people trapped in traffic trying to escape." She described this dangerous scene as "coming from certain scenes in horror movies.". She said, "I do know that someone hasn't withdrawn." She also said that the homeless and those without cars seem to be trapped in the town.
According to the report, Kent described how electricity and mobile networks were paralyzed on the 9th. She was unaware of any danger approaching until a sudden change in wind direction triggered panic. Kent said, "It's all just verbal communication, like people running on the street shouting, 'You must evacuate.' Someone riding a bicycle goes everywhere, shouting, 'People evacuate.'"