The Hawaii Department of Transportation announced that it will close a runway at the main airport on the island of Mauithe Kahului, to accommodate the receipt of aid in the fight against the fires that have left 89 dead and displaced more than 1,400 people.
In a message on the social network X (formerly Twitter), The authority said it will close a “short” runway to receive assistance, which will not affect commercial flights, but will have an impact “on general aviation.”.
Maui County posted the latest count of deaths from the fires that started on August 8 and placed the figure at 89 people.
Nevertheless, Hawaii Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke told CNN that the county is still assessing the damage and the “fear is that the death toll will continue to rise.”.
A total of 1,418 people are in the six temporary shelters set up to care for those affected for the most serious natural tragedy that the US archipelago has experienced in its history, also according to official data on Friday.
There are still several active pockets on the island and firefighters continue to work to extinguish fires in Lahaina, Pulehu/Kihei and Upcountry Maui.
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