Hawaii wildfires: Aerial images show devastation in Maui as death toll reaches 99

Aerial photos show the devastation caused by wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, which have claimed the lives of 99 people so far.

Ellen Manning
Updated ·3 min read
9
Charred remains of a burned neighbourhood is seen in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
The charred remains of a burned neighbourhood after wildfires hit Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. (AFP via Getty Images)

Aerial photos and footage show the scene of utter devastation after wildfires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui, where the death toll has reached at least 99.

The fires, fuelled by dry conditions and 60mph winds, destroyed the town of Lahaina, leaving thousands of people homeless.

The number of dead is expected to rise further, with many more people suffering injuries including burns and smoke inhalation.

Carcasses of cars are seen among the ashes of burnt neighborhood in the aftermath of a wildfire, in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Burnt-out cars in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina. (AFP via Getty Images)
People gather at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023. The death toll in Hawaii's wildfires rose to 99 and could double over the next 10 days, the state's governor said August 14, as emergency personnel painstakingly scoured the incinerated landscape for more human remains. Last week's inferno on the island of Maui is already the deadliest US wildfire in a century, with only a quarter of the ruins of the devastated town of Lahaina searched for victims so far. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
People gather at a distribution centre for those affected by the fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai. (AFP via Getty Images)
Volunteers unload donations at a distribution center for those affected by the Maui fires at Honokawai Beach Park in Napili-Honokowai, west of Maui, Hawaii, August 14, 2023.
Volunteers unload donations at a distribution centre for those affected by the Maui fires. (Getty Images)

Josh Green, the governor of Hawaii, warned that recovery teams were expected to find 10 to 20 more bodies each day.

It is already the deadliest wildfire in the US in more than a century.

Green said that about 1,300 people were missing and that it would take up to 10 days to know the full death toll.

"There is nothing to see except full devastation," he told CBS.

Watch: Drone footage captures scale of destruction in Lahaina

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Aerial images show harrowing scenes of the aftermath of wildfires on Maui, where homes and buildings on the waterfront in Lahaina were burned to the ground. (Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The death toll from the wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, is expected to rise further. (Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in the historic Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
The wildfires started burning on Tuesday 8 August and have caused huge devastation. (Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes and buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Rebuilding is expected to take years after fire destroyed properties and left people injured and homeless. (Getty Images)

Tourists and locals were forced to evacuate – with reports of people fleeing into the sea – and are now in emergency shelters, with some camping in the airport waiting for flights home.

Vixay Phonxaylinkham, a tourist from Fresno, California, told Reuters he was trapped in a rental car with his wife and children as the fires approached, forcing the family to abandon the vehicle and take refuge in the water, hanging on to pieces of wood.

He said: "We floated around four hours. It was a vacation that turned into a nightmare. I heard explosions everywhere, I heard screaming, and some people didn't make it. I feel so sad."

Read more on the devastation in Hawaii:


Hawaii wildfires: 'Jump in the water during a hurricane, or burn' - locals say it was a miracle they survived (Sky News, 3-min read)

How did the Hawaii wildfires start? (Independent, 3-min read)

Hawaiians dive into sea to escape ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires (The Telegraph, 3-min read)

TOPSHOT - An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed cars in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on 10 August shows destroyed cars in Lahaina. (Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes, buildings, and the harbor area burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
People fled into the sea to escape the blaze, which was fuelled by 60mph winds. (Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows a burned boat in the Lahaina Harbor in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
An aerial image shows a burned boat in the Lahaina harbour. (Getty Images)
An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows a person walking down Front Street past destroyed buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. At least 36 people have died after a fast-moving wildfire turned Lahaina to ashes, officials said August 9, 2023 as visitors asked to leave the island of Maui found themselves stranded at the airport. The fires began burning early August 8, scorching thousands of acres and putting homes, businesses and 35,000 lives at risk on Maui, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. (Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
People have been evacuated to emergency shelters, with tourists camping at the airport while they wait for flights home. (Getty Images)

Hawaiian officials have described the situation as the worst natural disaster in the state's history – surpassing that of 1960, when a tsunami killed 61 people on the Big Island of Hawaii.