At least 36 people have died in the Lahaina fire in Hawaii, Maui County wrote in a statement posted to the county website Wednesday evening.
Lahaina residents Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso described a harrowing escape under smoke-filled skies Tuesday afternoon. The couple and their six-year-old son got back to their apartment after a quick dash to the supermarket for water, and only had time to grab a change of clothes and run, as the bushes around them caught fire.
As the family fled, a senior centre across the road erupted in flames. They called 911, but didn't know if the people got out. Fire alarms blared. As they drove away, downed utility poles and fleeing cars slowed their progress. Smoking heaps of rubble lay piled high next to the waterfront, boats in the harbour were scorched and grey smoke hovered over the leafless skeletons of charred trees.
As of early Thursday, the tracking site Poweroutage.us reported about 11,000 homes and businesses were without power on Maui, which has a year-round population of 165,000.Tiare Lawrence was frantically trying to reach her siblings, who live close to where a gas station exploded in Lahaina.
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