In pics: Deadly wildfires wreak havoc on Hawaii's Maui island

Driven by the fires, people sought refuge by leaping into a harbour to escape the flames and smoke. Evacuations were initiated, and on Tuesday, 14 individuals in Lahaina found shelter in the harbour, leading to their successful rescue by the Coast Guard; their conditions are stable. Officials noted that burn patients were being attended to at island hospitals.

The flames raged extensively through Lahaina, a tourist hub with a population of 12,000 located on Maui's northwestern tip. By Wednesday afternoon (August 9), Maui county authorities confirmed that a minimum of 271 structures in Lahaina had either been destroyed or suffered damage due to the wildfires. The county released a statement underscoring the broad devastation across the West Maui town and its vicinity. Governor Josh Green, currently away but returning on Wednesday night, expressed in a statement that a substantial portion of the town had been obliterated, leading to the displacement of numerous local families.

Maui County issued a tweet stating that several roads had been shut down and cautioned against heading to Lahaina town. Due to heavy evacuation traffic, officials advised individuals not in evacuation zones to remain where they are, as this would prevent further congestion. Mahina Martin, spokesperson for the County of Maui, conveyed in an early Wednesday phone interview with the Associated Press. In response to the ongoing fires, officials released a request for island-wide water conservation on Wednesday morning, aiming to alleviate demand and extend existing supplies as firefighting efforts continued.

Images shared by the county during the night depicted a line of flames engulfing an intersection and leaping over structures in the historic town centre, established in the 1700s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Firefighting teams on Maui were actively combatting numerous fires located primarily in two zones: the sought-after tourist hotspot of West Maui and an elevated, hilly region inland. The 911 service in West Maui was rendered unavailable, prompting residents to contact the police department for assistance.

Due to the strength of the wind gusts, helicopters were prevented from dropping water onto the fires from the air, which also hindered their ability to accurately gauge the extent of the fires. Firefighters dealing with the inland fires were met with obstacles such as roads obstructed by fallen trees and power lines, as reported by Martin.

As of Wednesday afternoon, over 12,500 customers in Hawaii were grappling with power outages.