53 people have died from the Maui wildfires, Governor says, and historic Lahaina has burned down

Search of Maui wildfire reveals wasteland of destroyed neighbourhoods & landmarks; death toll rises to 53. Survivors tell harrowing tales of narrow escapes. Search & rescue operations continue, with 1,000 structures destroyed & dozens injured. Biden declares major disaster & pledges federal help.

A search of the wildfire devastation on the Hawaiian island of Maui on Thursday revealed a wasteland of obliterated neighbourhoods and landmarks charred beyond recognition, as the death toll rose to at least 53 and survivors told harrowing tales of narrow escapes with only the clothes on their backs.

A flyover of historic Lahaina showed entire neighbourhoods that had been a vibrant vision of colour and island life reduced to gray ash. Block after block was nothing but rubble and blackened foundations, including along famous Front Street, where tourists shopped and dined just days ago. Boats in the harbour were scorched, and smoke hovered over the town, which dates to the 1700s and is the biggest community on the island’s west side.

“Lahaina, with a few rare exceptions, has been burned down,” Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press. More than 1,000 structures were destroyed by fires that were still burning, he said.

Already the State's deadliest natural disaster since a 1960 tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island, the death toll will likely rise further as search and rescue operations continue, Mr. Green added.

“We are heartsick,” Mr. Green said.

Many businesses, including one of the town’s oldest shops, were destroyed. As owner Tiffany Kidder Winn assessed the damage Wednesday at the Whaler's Locker gift store, she came upon a line of burned-out vehicles, some with charred bodies inside.

“It looked like they were trying to get out, but were stuck in traffic and couldn’t get off Front Street,” she said. She later spotted a body leaning against a seawall.