Crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region.
HONOLULU — Wind-whipped wildfires raced through parts of Hawaii on Wednesday, destroying homes and businesses in a historic town on the island of Maui, injuring several people, forcing evacuations and leading some to flee to the relative safety of the ocean, where they were rescued by the Coast Guard.
In West Maui, 911 service was out and residents were directed to call the police department directly. Burn patients have been flown to the island of Oahu, according to Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokesperson Shayne Enright. She couldn't confirm how many patients were flown in from Maui, but she said a woman in her 60s was transported to a Honolulu hospital burn center in critical condition. Authorities said earlier Wednesday that a firefighter in Maui was hospitalized in stable condition after inhaling smoke.
“This is so unprecedented,” Martin said, noting that multiple districts were affected. An emergency in the night is terrifying, she said, and the darkness makes it hard to gauge the extent of the damage.Kahului Airport, the main airport in Maui, was sheltering 2,000 travelers whose flights were canceled or who recently arrived on the island, the county said.
Because of the wind gusts on Maui, helicopters weren't able to dump water on the fires or get aerial estimates of the fire sizes, and firefighters were encountering roads blocked by downed trees and power lines as they worked the inland fires, Martin said.“It’s definitely one of the more challenging days for our island given that it’s multiple fires, multiple evacuations in the different district areas,” Martin said.
Big Island Mayor Mitch Roth told Hawaii News Now that a few fires were still burning Wednesday on the island, but that there was “minimal damage” to any homes.
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