At least 36 killed as fires devastate Maui

devastating wildfires in Maui and the death toll climbing overnight at least 36 people are now dead and mass evacuations are underway right now Gio Benitez is live on the ground in Maui for us where there is a state of emergency right now Geo good morning wood good morning to you we know that there are at least three wildfires still burning here on Maui you could actually smell it in the air and that historic Lahaina town so beloved it is just gone this morning and of course this is a place and I'm struck by this that it's always filled with so much joy so much Aloha but this morning there's so much sadness over the loss of life that death toll growing overnight we now know that there are at least 36 people confirmed dead this morning A desperate attempt to save anything left behind after that out of control Inferno when one of Maui's most beloved areas Lahaina the wildfires erupting across the islands of Maui and Hawaii Tuesday killing at least 36 and burning through 600 acres so far at least 271 structures damaged or destroyed that was Pitch Black there was so much smoke it was so heart-wrenching Amanda Cassidy lost her home and both places of work most of Lahaina is gone Steve Scott telling me he's still searching for his wife after the two got separated I'm trying to find my wife I know she's safe I I think she's safe but I haven't found her yet survivors detailing the apocalyptic scenes there's guys riding around on bicycles and mopeds just screaming down the streets like you gotta go you gotta go the fire's coming clerican says she and her friends rushed to grab Essentials and evacuate amid the chaos we were dodging branches and just things flying through the air literally a wall of black smoke and I could see actual Flames like actual fire well while she made it out safely her hometown was decimated to escape the Flames more than a dozen people jumping to the ocean at Lahaina Harbor we've recovered 14 people so far from the water primarily it's it's been focused in a search and rescue posture at this time Aerials showing the extent of the damage rows of incinerated homes authorities saying 9-1-1 service is down in some areas hampering rescue efforts the completely uncontained fire destroying historic cultural landmarks across the bustling town home to 12 000 people the U.S military stepping in to help working to suppress the fire while getting tourists off the island the drive normally takes 45 minutes took us over three hours to get here would-be Travelers now discouraged from visiting the popular vacation destination and this here behind me this is actually the road to Lahaina it is still closed off but there's only one way in one way out just this road and that's what made evacuation efforts so so difficult here in this area we also again we talked about those three wildfires that are still burning here in Maui you can see it is still windy here the hope is that those winds die down just enough for those search and rescue efforts to be helped out by that because they really need that it is uncontained right now those fires and so there is a worry about what that means for residents here on the island but uh Whit I know that you and I we both we both adore Hawaii right this is I was here on vacation this is where I was when this whole thing broke out and it is really hard to imagine a town a Maui without Lahaina town that is how beloved it is here you know how strong Hawaiians are but even they are saying right now that Maui will never be the same absolutely my family's from Hawaii I've family there been to Lahaina dozens of times and of course that that tree that Banyan tree in the middle treasured by both locals and tourists alike Gio Benitez for us thank you so much we appreciate it hi everyone George Stephanopoulos here thanks for checking out the ABC News YouTube channel if you'd like to get more videos show highlights and watch live event coverage click on the right over here to subscribe to our Channel and don't forget to download the ABC News app for breaking news alerts thanks for watching

Channel: ABC News

Views: 111,015

Keywords: ABC, GMA, Hawaii, Maui, News, burn, devastation, fire, islands, p_cmsid=2494279, p_vid=news-102159081, wildfire

Id: X7aIjUDkkvM

Length: 4min 18sec (258 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 10 2023