International Desk: The death toll from a wildfire in Maui County, Hawaii, has risen to 67. Apart from this, hundreds of people are still missing. Firefighters in the country are trying to control the fire. BBC news. At least 1,700 homes in the state’s historic town of Lahaina were destroyed, and thousands were displaced, local Gov.
Jose Greene said, describing the day as a “heartbreaking day.” He said that 80 percent of the city’s area has been destroyed by the fire. The fire broke out last Tuesday and was later fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora. After that, the authorities evacuated about 14 thousand tourists from there.
However, the authorities have not yet found many people due to the breakdown of electricity and internet communication systems. Residents of the city of Lahaina who survived the blaze said no warning signs were issued to warn them as the wildfires approached their homes. City officials said about 11,000 people on Maui were without power amid the disaster. Maui County Mayor Richard Bysen warned those who have left their homes and are staying in shelters not to return home immediately.
Authorities on the island of Maui say it will take years and hundreds of billions of dollars to overcome the massive damage caused by the wildfires. Governor Green said this is possibly the largest natural disaster in the history of the state of Hawaii. On the other hand, Governor Jose Green said that houses must be built for the thousands of people who have already been displaced. Initially, 2000 rooms have been requested in hotels for them. Besides, he asked the people in the areas where people are still able to live to shelter the homeless in the spare rooms of their houses. “This is the largest natural disaster in the history of the state of Hawaii.
The death toll is still rising. Hundreds of houses have been destroyed,” he told a press briefing. He said it will take years to rebuild Lahaina. This city is the main focus of the fire. You will be amazed by the pictures of the devastation in Lahaina. All buildings have to be rebuilt. It will be a new Lahaina. A video released by Green shows the house engulfed in flames. There, he said, at least 1,000 houses were destroyed.
The local coast guard, on the other hand, said they rescued seventeen people from the coastal town of Lahaina. Many people jumped into the sea to escape the intense heat. Local police say they still don’t know how many people are still missing. But the number will not be less than one thousand. Police Chief John Petellier, however, said that does not mean these people are dead.
He said that the whole island now has no electricity and no internet—that’s why it has become difficult to find people. Meanwhile, the Maui Forestry Department said hundreds of acres of forest have burned since Tuesday in multiple wildfires. Small fires are burning in many places. “Conditions are still dangerous,” Maui Forestry Chief Brad Ventura said, advising people to stay out of the “fire zone.”
