The death toll from the devastating wildfires blazing across the Hawaiian island of Maui rose to 53 on Thursday, according to Maui County officials.
The confirmed number rose Thursday after an additional 17 deaths were discovered in the wildfire that decimated much of the historic town of Lahaina.
As of Thursday morning local time, the Lahaina wildfire was reported to be about 80 percent contained. Civil Air Patrol flyovers confirmed that more than 270 structures in the historic town of Lahaina were damaged or destroyed by the fire as of Wednesday.
President Biden approved Hawaiian Gov. Josh Green’s request for a federal emergency disaster declaration, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts to contain and recover from the devastation of the wildfire, which started Aug. 8.
“This is a tragic day for everyone in Hawai‘i and the nation. Our hearts go out to the families of the victims and the survivors suffering through the deadliest natural disaster the state has seen in generations,” Green said in a statement Thursday.
Green said he expected the number to rise “significantly” from the 36 previously confirmed during a Thursday interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer.
“We haven’t had a loss of life instance like this for many years,” Green told Blitzer. “As we get into the many hundreds of houses that were overwhelmed by fire … we have great concern we will find the remains of people that were not able to escape.”
The wildfires come in the wake of Hurricane Dora, which churned hundreds of miles south of Hawaii and caused wind gusts on Maui of up to 80 mph. The fires also likely were caused by a months-long drought and low humidity.