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Maui wildfires devastate residents, real estate
More than 1,700 structures were damaged, causing an estimated $8B to $10B in damage
The wildfires that ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui this week will leave lasting consequences beyond the death toll.
Lāhainā, a resort city on the western side of Maui, has been “burnt to the ground,” according to Reuters. Multiple neighborhoods have been completely destroyed as fires nearly cut it off from the rest of the island, with only one highway open Wednesday with thousands in need of evacuation.
Some people jumped into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames, Reuters reported. At least 55 people have died in the fires, which have destroyed some 1,700 structures and caused at least $8 to $10 billion in damages, according to AccuWeather.
“This is yet another reminder of the tremendous risk to people and property posed by wildfires, which can occur outside of areas and times of the year that most people may expect the greatest risk for wildfires,” AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter told the outlet.
The economic damage extends beyond structural damage, as Maui relies heavily on tourism, generating as much as 75 percent of the island’s revenue, AccuWeather said.
“We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen. All of Lāhainā is burnt to a crisp. It’s like an apocalypse,” Lāhainā resident Mason Jarvi, who escaped from the city, told Reuters.
The fires ignited Tuesday night and spread quickly because of winds from Hurricane Dora, hundreds of miles to the southwest. More than 11,000 travelers have been evacuated. The fires also burnt part of the Big Island.
“Local people have lost everything. They’ve lost their house. They’ve lost their animals. It’s devastating,” Jimmy Tokioka, director of the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, told Reuters.
Aerial video of Lāhainā showed block after block covered in smoke. It’s the largest tourist destination on Maui and home to several large hotels.
“It’s like an area was bombed. It’s like a war zone,” said helicopter pilot Richard Olsten, Reuters reported, citing Hawaii News Now.
Images on social media show clouds of smoke towering over beaches and palm trees.
“I was the last one off the dock when the firestorm came through the banyan trees and took everything with it. And I just ran out and helped everyone I could along the way,” Dustin Johnson, who was in Lāhainā Harbor working for a charter boat company that offers two-hour tours, told Reuters.
— Harrison Connery
Correction: An earlier version of this story misspelled Lāhainā.