Paradise lost: Shocking before and after images reveal the scale of devastation on Hawaiian island after wildfires ripped through historic town killing 36
- At least 36 people have died in Lahania, Maui, and some 271 buildings destroyed
- READ MORE: Death toll in Hawaii fires climbs to 36 after town ‘wiped off the map’
Shocking before and after pictures have laid bare the devastation inflicted by raging wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where at least 36 people have died.
All of the victims were in Lahaina, the ‘decimated’ town where some 271 buildings have been destroyed by the blaze which has ravaged 800 hectares of land, fanned by powerful winds.
Street after street has been reduced to ashes in the seaside town – a once bustling hub home to 12,000 people which attracted tourists from all over the world.
Aerial shots show the extent of the scorched earth on Maui, while pictures and videos from the ground demonstrate the human tragedy of lost homes, businesses and lives.
Horrific scenes of burnt out buildings and charred trees have been described as ‘like a warzone’ by one local resident, while distressing pictures showing gnarled abandoned cars reveal how people desperately tried to flee the flames.
Aerial shots show scorched homes and trees on the shoreline in southern Lahaina, Maui
Front Street leads up on the seawall, which usually gives tourists stunning views of the crystal blue ocean. But harrowing footage taken near the seawall as fires raged shows an elderly man slumped on a chair in exhaustion having just fled the inferno
Pictures taken over Lahania show the once beautiful tourist hub has been devastated by the fires
Pretty, colourful restaurants and stores selling surf gear and clothes have been laid to waste as fires ripped through the town
The hall of the historic Waiola Church along Wainee Street before and after the fires hit. The whole area is now believed to have been destroyed
Front Street, usually a popular shopping area, has been pictured being engulfed in an inferno as terrified locals, including children, watch on.
Pretty, colourful restaurants and stores selling surf gear and clothes have been laid to waste as fires ripped through the town.
The street leads up on the seawall, which usually gives tourists stunning views of the crystal blue ocean.
Tragically, the once beautiful scenery is now blackened, with pictures showing smoke rising over ruined beachfront buildings.
Harrowing footage taken near the sea wall as fires raged shows an elderly man slumped on a chair in exhaustion having just fled the inferno.
The horror of residents’ desperate dash escape to fires is also revealed by the scores of charred cars along the front, likely used by those fleeing the fires.
The hall of the historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission were also engulfed in flames.
‘It’s gone, the social hall, the sanctuary, the annex, all of it,’ the church’s longtime lay minister told USA TODAY. ‘It is totally unimaginable.’
The church has been at the centre of the community for exactly 200 years, celebrating its anniversary just three months ago.
Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, 2023, left, and an overview of the same area on August 9
Satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Lahaina Square on June 25, left, and an overview of the same area on August 9
Democratic Senator for Hawaii, Brian Schatz, warned Lahaina has been ‘almost totally burned to the ground’ while a local resident described the town as ‘like a warzone’.
READ MORE: Death toll in Hawaii wildfires climbs to 36 after town ‘wiped off the map’
Another witness said it was a scene of ‘utter devastation… It is far from hyperbole to say that Lahaina has been wiped off the map’.
At a press conference, Lt Governor Sylvia Luke said she had flown over Lahaina, a town of 12,000 people, to see the damage with her own eyes.
‘[It] was just so shocking and devastating… The whole town was devastated, the whole town was decimated,’ she said.
A longtime Maui resident who filmed the scenes of devastation in Lahaina said he would not share some footage as it was too graphic. Emerson Timmins told local news outlet KHON2 News: ‘There were cars abandoned on the road, I assume those people couldn’t get out in time.
‘They probably headed to the ocean, the ones that could make it, and people leaving their homes.
This combination of satellite images provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Banyan Court in Lahaina on Maui, Hawaii, on June 25, top, and an overview of the same area on Wednesday, August 9
‘If a young person could barely get out of there with their family, then the elderly are trapped, those that are handicapped.
‘It’s terrifying to think about all those families losing their loved ones and their homes.’
Currently, around 2,000 tourists are in shelters near the island’s airport.
The entirety of West Maui remains without power, and has no landline or cellphone service due to the wildfires.
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