Maui wildfires death toll rises to 55, President Joe Biden declares it ‘major disaster’

The death toll in the Maui wildfires has soared to 55, with over 1,000 buildings turning into smouldering ruins, officials said.

Among the worst affected is the resort town of Lahaina, where more than 270 structures were destroyed or damaged.

Lahaina is one of Maui's prime attractions, drawing twomillion tourists each year, or about 80 per cent of the island's visitors.

Officials said that about 80 per cent of the fast-spreading wildfire has been contained.

"As firefighting efforts continue, 17 additional fatalities have been confirmed today amid the active Lahaina fire" as of 1:10 pmlocal time, Maui County said on Thursday (Aug 10). "This brings the death toll to 53 people."

Fatalities to rise further

Hawaii Governor Josh Green pegs the fatalities to increase further as search and rescue operations continue.

Officials say that the wildfire that began on Tuesday is on the verge of becoming the state’s deadliest natural disaster since a 1961 tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island.

“We are heartsick,” Green told the AP news agency.

A state of emergency has been declared for the whole island, while all non-essential travel to the popular vacation destination has been discouraged.

Though the exact cause of the wildfire is yet to be ascertained, reports say that the brushfires on Maui's west coast first broke out on August 8 and rapidly spread to the seaside town of Lahaina.

The fire has been fuelled by high winds from Hurricane Dora passing to the south — across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles south of the Hawaiian islands, forcing some residents to flee into the ocean.

'Major disaster'

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden declared the Hawaii wildfires a "major disaster," and ordered federal funds to aid Maui town.

"Today, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Hawaii and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by wildfires," a White House statement said.

Biden's office said that he spoke to Hawaii Governor Josh Green on Thursday over the phone and took stock of the situation.

The president "expressed his deep condolences for the lives lost and vast destruction of land and property," the White House said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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