Paradise Lost: Shocking before and after images reveal the extent of devastation on the Hawaiian island after deadly wildfires ripped through the historic town

Shocking before and after photos have exposed the devastation wrought by raging wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where at least 36 people have died.

All casualties were in Lahaina, the “decimated” city where some 271 buildings have been destroyed by the blaze that devastated 800 acres of land, fanned by strong winds.

Street after street has been reduced to ashes in the seaside town – a once bustling hub of 12,000 people that attracted tourists from all over the world.

Aerial photos show the expanse of Maui’s scorched earth, while photos and video from the ground show the human tragedy of homes, businesses and lives lost.

Gruesome scenes of burnt-out buildings and charred trees have been described as “like a war zone” by a local resident, while disturbing photos of gnarled abandoned cars show people desperately trying to flee the flames.

Aerial photos show scorched homes and trees on the shoreline in southern Lahaina, Maui

Front Street leads to the Seawall, which usually gives tourists a beautiful view of the crystal blue ocean

Poignant footage, shot near the sea wall as fires raged, shows an elderly man slumped on a chair exhausted after just escaping the inferno

Photos taken over Lahania show the once beautiful tourist center destroyed by the fires

Beautiful, colorful restaurants and shops selling surf gear and clothing have been destroyed as fires swept through the city

Usually a popular shopping area, Front Street is depicted being engulfed in an inferno as terrified locals, including children, look on.

Beautiful, colorful restaurants and shops selling surf gear and clothing have been destroyed as fires swept through the city.

The street leads to the seawall, which usually gives tourists a beautiful view of the crystal blue ocean.

Tragically, the once-beautiful landscape is now black, with photos showing smoke rising over ruined beachside buildings.

Poignant footage shot near the seawall as fires raged show an elderly man slumped on a chair exhausted after just escaping the inferno.

The horror of residents’ desperate escape from fires is also revealed by the dozens of charred cars lining the front, likely used by those fleeing the fires.

The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and the nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission were engulfed in flames along Wainee Street

“It’s gone, the social hall, the sanctuary, the outhouse, everything,” the church’s longtime lay pastor told USA TODAY. “It’s totally unbelievable.”

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies show an overview of Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, 2023, left, and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9

Satellite images from Maxar Technologies show an overview of Lahaina Square in Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, left, and an overview of the same area on August 9

Hawaii Democratic Senator Brian Schatz warned that Lahaina is “almost completely burned to the ground,” while a local resident described the city as “like a war zone.”

Another witness said it was a scene of “utter devastation… It is far from an exaggeration to say that Lahaina has been wiped off the map.”

At a news conference, Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke said she flew over Lahaina, a city of 12,000, to see the damage for herself.

“(It) was just so shocking and devastating… The whole city was destroyed, the whole city was decimated,” she said.

A longtime Maui resident who filmed the scenes of devastation in Lahaina said he wouldn’t share some of the footage because it was too graphic. Emerson Timmins told local news outlet KHON2 News: ‘There were cars left behind on the road, I assume those people couldn’t get out in time.

“They probably went to the ocean, the ones who could make it, and people left their homes.

This combination of satellite images from Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Banyan Court in Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii, on June 25 at the top, and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9

‘If a young person can hardly get out with his family, then the elderly are trapped, the disabled.

“It’s terrifying to think of all those families losing their loved ones and their homes.”

Currently, about 2,000 tourists are in shelters near the island’s airport.

All of West Maui is still without power and has no landline or cell phone because of the wildfires.