36 dead as catastrophic wildfire sweeps across Maui 

At least three dozen people have been killed on Maui as a devastating wildfire fueled by hurricane-driven winds tore through the Hawaiian island Wednesday.

Maui County officials announced late Wednesday that at least 36 people have been killed due to the wildfires in Lahaina Town. At least 271 structures were damaged or destroyed and dozens of people were left injured, officials said.

Numerous shelters on the island were also opened for those who needed to flee their homes, they added.

Some people took to the ocean to escape the flames, with the Coast Guard saying Wednesday that it had rescued 14 people off the shore of Lahaina.

The fires on Maui have been fueled by Hurricane Dora, which was churning hundreds of miles south of Hawaii. Wind and fire weather advisories have been issued this week by the National Weather Service, which said that the combination of high winds and dry conditions could lead to the rapid spread of wildfires. Since Monday, parts of Hawaii have seen wind gusts of more than 80 mph, according to the weather service.

Hawaii’s Department of Transportation has been organizing transportation for tourists to get to the airports and fly off the island, officials said. Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke — serving as acting governor — declared a state of emergency Tuesday in response to the fires.

Gov. Josh Green cut his out-of-state trip short to help organize the response to the wildfires, his office said Wednesday. He was slated to return to the islands Aug. 15, but instead returned Wednesday evening.

“The wind-fueled fires have devastated many of our communities and people will be looking to our office for leadership while we address the ongoing emergency and do what we can as a state to rebuild lives,” Green said in a statement.

President Biden has ordered all federal assets available on the islands to respond, noting that the U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy’s 3rd Fleet are already supporting response efforts. He said the federal Transportation Department is also working to evacuate tourists from the island.

Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz posted a link to a donations page for the victims of the wildfires, saying in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Lahaina Town is “almost totally burnt to the ground.” He added that firefighters were continuing to battle the flames, and that the first responders are in “search and rescue mode” on the island.

Former President Obama — who was born in Hawaii — also posted a link to a donations page on X that will go to support the victims of the wildfires.

“It’s tough to see some of the images coming out of Hawai’i — a place that’s so special to so many of us,” he said in the post. “Michelle and I are thinking of everyone who has lost a loved one, or whose life has been turned upside down.”

The Associated Press contributed.