Hawaii wildfire tragedy worsens, Death toll climbs to 53

Rashaed Esson

Staff Writer

#Hawaii, August 11, 2023 – How does a fire erupt in the middle of a hurricane?  And yet it does and did, with deadly consequences to the popular tourist town and home to thousands.  Those looking at the images coming out of Hawaii are compelled to describe the scenes as “apocalyptic”.  Further evidence of how bizarre the world of weather is becoming on a planet struggling to keep pace with the human and damage toll of devastating natural disasters.

A wildfire, with its winds fuelled by Hurricane Dora, wreaked havoc on Maui, an Island in Hawaii scorching and destroying large sections of the historic town of Lahaina, claiming at least 53 lives and rendering homeless 200 people who are currently in shelters.

Initially the report was six dead.  Then it climbed to 36.  Now, just over a day since the ordeal started and with search and rescue operations in full swing, the new of people killed is 53, according to officials.

The US Coast Guard informed that a dozen people, residents and tourists, were rescued from the water off the coast of Lahaina after they jumped to save themselves from consumption by the inferno.

The search continues for about 1,000 people.

Efforts were made to fight the fire but due to powerful winds combined with dry conditions and low humidity, this was made very difficult.  In fact, wind gusts of nearly 80 mph were reported in some areas blowing down power lines and trees leaving about 14,000 Hawaiians without power according to PowerOutage.us.

“It’s just so hard. I’m currently in the Upcountry and just knowing that I can’t get a hold of any of my family members. I still don’t know where my little brother is. I don’t know where my stepdad is,” Tiare Lawrence, Lahaina resident said, “Everyone I know in Lahaina, their homes have burned down,” she added.

While Lahaina was in flames, firefighters were also battling another fire in the inland, mountainous region of the island.

This has been dubbed the worst natural disaster to hit the islands since Hurricane Iniki in 1992.