At least 36 people have been killed in “unprecedented” wildfires that are raging across the island of Maui, officials said Wednesday, August 9th. President Joe Biden has approved a disaster declaration to provide more federal aid to Hawaii.
There is widespread devastation, with residents in the town of Lahaina describing their homes and businesses wiped out and “completely burnt to the ground.” Nearly 11,000 customers on Maui continue to grapple with power outages.
Most of the fires on Maui – fueled in part by strong winds associated with Hurricane Dora, churning hundreds of miles away – have not yet been contained, Mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said. Hawaii’s Big Island has also been impacted by wildfires.
More than 100 U.S. National Guard members have been activated to assist in response efforts to wildfires raging in Hawaii, the Pentagon said Thursday.
Of the 134 activated personnel, 99 are from the Army National Guard and 35 are from the Air National Guard, according to spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder.
“This includes liaison support to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, support to local law enforcement, and two Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopters to support wildfire response operations and search and recovery teams,” Ryder said.
He added that three other helicopters from the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade had also been deployed to assist, in addition to two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters from the Navy Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 37.
The Coast Guard has also rescued 14 people who had gone into the ocean to take shelter from the fire and smoke on Maui, Ryder said.
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