Jan Wesner Childs
The death toll from wildfires on the Hawaii island of Maui has risen to 53.
The news was announced in an update from Maui County.
The devastating fires started burning Tuesday, and were fueled by a combination of weather factors including winds gusting up to 80 mph, unusually dry conditions and the distant passing of Hurricane Dora.
Much of the historic downtown of Lahaina, on the west side of Maui, was left in a charred ruin. People ran for their lives as the fire closed in on Front Street, which runs along the waterfront. More than a dozen jumped into the water and were rescued by the Coast Guard.
A local charter boat crew member ran along a dock where boats were moored, warning anyone on board of the danger.
One survivor described a gruesome scene of burned-out vehicles with charred bodies inside.
Residents lost their homes and businesses, and tourists were stranded.
The Maui fires are the deadliest in the U.S. since 2018, when the Camp Fire killed more than 80 people in Paradise, California.
This is a developing story. Click here for our live updates.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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