The big fire which swept the picturesque resort Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui has claimed the lives of at least 36 peoplewhile it left behind debris and forced thousands of residents and tourists to leave their homes.

Footage from the area shows entire neighborhoods and businesses flattened and vehicles, burned to the ground, on the western side of the island. The fire closed most of the roads around Laheina, the historic former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii. The town is one of Maui’s main attractions and attracts nearly 2 million tourists each year – that’s 80% of the island’s visitors. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, but the National Weather Service said the fires were fueled by dry vegetation, high winds and low humidity.

Maui resident Dustin Kaleiopou said his family, now relocated to the other side of the island, had just minutes to leave. But she lost two houses that had belonged to her for many generations. “There are still so many people we can’t reach, and that’s true for a lot of families here,” he said on NBC News’ Today program. “Everyone I know is now homeless,” he added.

Such scenes of devastation have recently been recorded in many parts of the world. The fires forced tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal and other European countries to leave their homes. In western Canada wildfires of unusual intensity created clouds of smoke that blanketed the northern US.

Fires break out every year in Hawaii, explained Thomas Smith, a professor of environmental geography at the London School of Economics and Political Science, but this year’s are spreading faster and larger than usual because of low rainfall, high temperatures and accompanying winds. nearby storm systems.

In Maui, firefighters are fighting on three different fronts, officials said late Wednesday night local time, without providing further details. The flames have destroyed neighborhoods in Kula in the Upcountry mountain region and are threatening Kihei in southern Maui.

Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said at a news conference that authorities were still assessing the damage. “It will be a long road to recovery,” he noted.

The fires started on Tuesday night and grew in size due to the strong winds of Hurricane Dora, which was hundreds of kilometers southwest of Hawaii. The winds have now died down.

In addition to the loss of life, the flames also consumed cultural treasures, such as the historic Laheina fig tree, a tree that stood where the palace of King Kamehameha III once stood in the 19th century. More than 270 buildings were damaged or completely destroyed, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, citing reports from the Maui Civil Aviation and Fire Department flyovers.

Early this morning about 11,000 homes and businesses were still without power on Maui, an island of 165,000 residents.

Barack Obama, the only US president born in Hawaii, posted a hyperlink on the X platform to an aid organization for those affected. “It’s hard to see some of the images coming out of Hawaii, an area so special to so many of us,” he wrote, adding that he and former first lady Michelle Obama were “thinking of those who have lost loved ones or their lives were turned upside down.”

The fire quickly became large in Laheina and some people were forced to dive into the sea to escape. They were rescued by the coast guard.

Julius Limbaga, 38, was sleeping on Tuesday when he smelled smoke in his apartment. “The fire was spreading so fast, in the blink of an eye, it was everywhere,” he said. As he told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, he soaked himself with water and ran into the harbor, his rubber slippers melting on the street. He jumped into the waters of the harbor and from there he was rescued by the coast guard and taken to the hospital with burns on his legs.

Dr. John Vaz, the physician in charge at Maui’s Malama I Ke Ola Medical Center, told the same newspaper that most of the wounded did not say anything at first: “They were just looking around at the dismembered.”

More than 11,000 tourists have already been turned away from Maui, said Ed Sniffen, the head of the Hawaii Transportation Agency. Although at least 16 roads were closed, the airport was operating normally and airlines dropped ticket prices or offered free seats to people leaving. Southwest Airlines announced it will operate more flights to help with the evacuation effort.

Shuttle service to Kahului Airport will resume today at 8:30 a.m. local time. Earlier, President Joe Biden announced that the National Guard, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard have been mobilized to help those affected.