Strong winds from Hurricane Dora and dry conditions sparked wildfires across the state of Hawaii on Wednesday, killing 6 people and leading to the evacuation of several people.
The Coast Guard rescued people from the ocean near Lahaina, Maui, as they jumped into the water to escape a rapidly advancing fire, it reported. NBCNews, and the area of historic downtown around Front Street was partially destroyed, according to Hawaii News Now and other reports.
Acting Governor Sylvia Luke on Tuesday issued a emergency declaration in which he stated that the fires had burned “hundreds” of hectares and forced the closure of several schools and roads. Luke authorized the Hawaii National Guard to assist authorities in relief efforts.
Luke deputized for Gov. Josh Green, who is away, but Green has been “fully briefed” on the situation, according to a report. release. Green will return to Hawaii on August 15th.
The emergency proclamation said evacuations were underway in the Kohala Ranch, Kula and Lahaina areas as the fires threatened to affect the health and well-being of “a substantial number of people.” The catastrophic emergency aid period will last until at least August 15, according to the document.
“Lieutenant Governor Luke has my full support,” Green said in a statement. “My thoughts are with the residents and businesses affected by Hurricane Dora.”
Hurricane Dora was not expected to make landfall on Hawaii and remained hundreds of miles south of the islands on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC) But the storm contributed to strong winds that downed several trees and power lines.
The Honolulu National Weather Service shared a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Tuesday night telling residents to prepare for winds between 30 and 40 miles per hour, and gusts up to 60 miles per hour.
“Secure property, outages and difficult travel expected,” the agency wrote.
Strong winds paralyzed firefighters and prevented helicopters from successfully dropping water on the blazes, he told a news agency on Tuesday. Associated Press Maui County spokeswoman Mahina Martin.
The American Red Cross posted on X Wednesday that several shelters are open across the state to help those affected by the fires and winds.
This article It was originally published in English by Ashley Capoot for our sister network CNBC.com. For more from CNBC enter here.
