MAUI, HAWAII: The death toll in the Maui wildfires increased to 67 by 3 pm on Friday, August 11, as search teams scoured through the smoldering wreckage of Lahaina and Hawaiian officials tried to figure out how the blaze spread so quickly across the historic tourist town.
According to Maui's mayor, Richard Bissen Jr, they have not even started looking inside buildings, so the death toll is predicted to increase considerably over the next few days.
AccuWeather tweeted a clip showing Maui burning and later the wreckage caused by the fire, captioning it, "Fire to ashes: a look at the heartbreaking past 48 hours in Maui."
The fires surpassed a tsunami that killed 61 people on Hawaii's Big Island in 1960, the year the state of Hawaii joined the United States, as the deadliest natural disaster in the state's history.
How many are missing in Maui wildfires?
As per Daily Mail, the Maui wildfires have claimed 67 lives so far, with 1,500 people still missing, according to Hawaii's governor, raising concerns about whether the islands may have underestimated the danger.
As per CBS, some Maui residents who managed to flee the fatal blazes that ravaged the Hawaiian island claim they never got any official warnings about the fires, which left scores of people dead and hundreds of structures in ruins.
Beginning on Friday afternoon, some people were permitted to return to the ancient town of Lahaina, which had been severely damaged, to check on their property. Officials stated that the disaster area with have a curfew every day from 10 pm to 6 am.
Rescue workers to search torched buildings
Officials have issued a warning that rescue teams using cadaver dogs might potentially discover more victims of the fire that burned over 1,000 buildings, caused hundreds to lose their homes, and will probably take many years and billions of dollars to reconstruct.
US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii told MSNBC, "Nobody has entered any of these structures that have burned down and that's where we unfortunately anticipate that the death toll will rise significantly."
According to a statement from Maui County, the Lahaina fire, which started in the brush and moved into the town, was still burning but 85% contained. Two further flames on the island were 80% and 50% controlled.
In a late-day update on Friday, Maui County officials stated that barricades were placed in several parts of Lahaina town and that officers were patrolling them since "burning areas are highly toxic." The general population was warned to avoid hot places and to put on a mask and gloves.
Over 1,000 homes and other buildings, including ancient structures and enterprises, are reported to have been damaged or destroyed on Maui, and evacuations and a review of the damage are still ongoing.
The island is receiving more crews to assist. According to officials, a search and rescue team from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Urban Search and Rescue Team was deployed from Nevada and Arizona on Friday.
Maui wildfires led to missing families and lost homes
After flames ravaged the Hawaiian island, destroying entire neighborhoods and leaving many residents without a place to stay, hundreds of evacuees came to Maui's War Memorial Stadium and set up camp.
Despite the heat, volunteers have been working to create a welcoming environment by providing local goodies like shaved ice. But the situation is still difficult.
Tom Leonard, who has spent 44 years calling Lahaina home, informed the BBC that he had lost all of his belongings and had been residing at the shelter for the last two days. He didn't know where he'll go next.
The loved ones whose whereabouts are unknown are more concerning than the loss of property. Talk show star Oprah Winfrey, who spends time in Maui, provided pillows and other supplies after observing the needs of the population.
A user on Twitter a video of the incident, crediting Hawaiinewsreport, captioning it, "Oprah visited War Memorial gym, Maui. Interacted and helped #Maui wildfire survivors."
