US: Death toll rises to 36 in deadly wildfires in Hawaii

The fire has also destroyed hundreds of structures, including homes and historically significant sites, according to CNN.

Hawaii: At least 36 people lost their lives in Maui County, Hawaii as a wildfire swept across parts of the island, reported CNN. Maui is home to nearly 160,000 people, and thousands of residents and travellers have been displaced in the county, according to the officials.

The fire has also destroyed hundreds of structures, including homes and historically significant sites, according to CNN. Moreover, evacuation and emergency responses have been hindered by widespread cell service outages due to which people are not able to contact 911 or update their families about their status, authorities said.

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However, the firefighters are working ceaselessly to fight the blazes in affected Lahaina, as well as, in Pulehu and Upcountry areas, Maui County said. Additionally, some of the parts of Hawaii’s Big Island have also been affected by the wildfires.

Following the deadly wildfires, Hawaii Government Josh Green said that non-essential travels to Maui have been strongly discouraged as it is effortlessly trying to shelter displaced residents and are working towards recovering the island. “We’ll welcome visitors back to paradise after the fire’s done and after we can rebuild,” Green added.

Spokesperson Shayna Decken, in a statement on Wednesday, said, “We are all hands on deck in supporting and responding to Maui communities affected by the outages, active wildfires, and sustained high wind damage,” CNN reported.

Decken added, “Our focus right now is the safety of our communities, customers, and workforce and prioritizing power restoration to areas that our crews can safely access.” As per the news report, approximately 12,400 customers remain without power in West Maui and crews are analysing the damage from the wildfire. The crews have been working working to repair multiple downed poles and power lines in various areas.