Bodies of Hawaii fire victims are being pulled from the sea – while another 14,500 people are evacuated, leaving 2,000 without a place to sleep: ‘We still have dead bodies in the water’

A Hawaii resident in the midst of the state’s apocalyptic wildfires has revealed that the charred remains of numerous victims have washed ashore during the crisis.

Kekoa Lansford said his town of Lahaina, the epicenter of the fires on the island of Maui, “will take years to recover” after the dust settles over the natural disaster.

“This isn’t even the worst of it,” he told the BBC as he pointed to the razed city. “(We) are still getting dead bodies floating in the water and on the sea wall.”

Lansford spoke before President Biden promised endless federal aid on Thursday, and denounced officials’ reaction when he said, “I feel like we’re not getting the help we need.”

His comments came a day before Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced that the death toll had risen to 53, a number expected to rise “significantly” in the coming days.

Officials were able to evacuate 14,500 people from the island on Thursday, but at least 2,000 will sleep rough as authorities scramble to help residents and tourists flee the fires.

Numerous bodies are still being recovered in Lahaina after the wildfires killed at least 53 people, and some residents say charred remains floated to the sea wall

When the fires started on Tuesday, drought-like conditions following a summer of high temperatures and little rain — combined with winds from Hurricane Dora — caused the flames to spread quickly.

With many locals and tourists caught off guard, some resorted to throwing it into the sea in an attempt to escape the sweltering streets.

US Coast Guard Commander Aja Kirksey told CNN about 100 people reportedly jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to flee the fast-moving flames.

Kirksey said helicopter pilots struggled to see because of the dense smoke billowing from the massive blaze, but a Coast Guard vessel was able to rescue more than 50 people from the water.

“It was a very fast-moving scene and quite poignant for the victims who had to jump into the water,” she added.

After officials controlled many of the fires in Lahaina, Green said more than 80 percent of the community had been razed to the ground. Lansford’s fears that rebuilding the city could take years were reiterated by the governor at a news conference on Thursday.

“When you see the full extent of Lahaina’s destruction, it will shock you,” he said, noting that the renovation could cost “billions of dollars.”

“All those buildings will have to be rebuilt as good as possible. It will be another Lahaina that Maui is building, in its own image, with its own values,” he added.

People were ordered by officials to leave the island of Maui because the wildfires are causing untold damage

Maui County officials organized buses for stranded tourists to take them to airports

Officials ordered people to flee Maui “as soon as possible.”

Several thousand Hawaiians rushed to flee homes on Maui as the Lahaina fire swept across the island. Pictured: People gather while waiting for flights at Kahului Airport Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Stranded tourists at Kahului airport while waiting for flights Wednesday, August 9, 2023

Smoke rises near Lahaina as wildfires triggered by high winds destroy much of the historic city of Lahaina

Residents and vacationers scrambled for safety as the wildfires began, with more than 14,000 people leaving the island of Maui on Wednesday.

An additional 14,500 people were expected to join the burned island by the end of Thursday, according to a press release from the Hawaii Tourism Authority.

Many of those trying to find safety ended up in shelters BBC journalist Max Matza reported from one of the facilities that more people have found corpses in the water.

“I found two bodies floating against my seawall,” said one resident, who said he didn’t listen to Governor Green’s press conference because he didn’t want to be reminded of the disaster.

The unnamed man added that he was still waiting to hear from “a few people,” who may be one of countless people still missing. At his press conference, Green admitted that more than 1,000 people may still be missing.

As the death toll rose by 17 on Thursday, the wildfires became one of the deadliest disasters to hit Hawaii’s islands since it became a U.S. state in 1959.

“In 1960, we had 61 fatalities when a big wave came through the Big Island,” Green said, referring to a tragedy that struck a year after Hawaii became the 50th state in the US.

“This time it is very likely that our death toll will exceed that significantly,” he added.

The governor said the devastated city now looks ‘as if a bomb has been dropped’, adding: ‘It looks like utter devastation; Buildings that we have all enjoyed and celebrated together for decades, generations, have been completely destroyed.”

Among those buildings was the hall of the historic Wailoa Church in Lahaina, which was photographed engulfed in flames as high winds rocked the trees around it.

Officials said they expect the rebuild to cost billions of dollars

The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission go up in flames along Wainee Street August 8, 2023

After hearing reports that her home was destroyed along with her pets, Steff Baku-Kirkman reacts after wildfires caused by high winds reportedly destroyed much of the historic city of Lahaina

Aerial photographs of Lahaina, which was the capital of the Hawaiian kingdom in the early 1800s, showed entire blocks reduced to cinders.

Green said about 1,700 buildings have now been affected by the fire.

“With lives lost and property decimated, we mourn together at this inconsolable time,” said Maui Mayor Richard Bissen.

“In the days to come, we will be stronger as a…community,” he added, “as we rebuild with resilience and aloha.”

While President Biden has pledged endless resources to Hawaii officials to help them bring the crisis to an end, authorities in Maui County asked visitors to leave “as soon as possible” and organized buses to take evacuees from shelters to the airport. to take.