UPDATE 10:22 P.M.: Maui County confirms 36 fatalities in Lahaina wildfire. The total includes six that were announced earlier today. The county said no other details were available.
UPDATE 4 P.M.:
More than 271 structures have been impacted by the Lahaina fire, the U.S. Civil Air Patrol and Maui Fire Department reported after flyovers of Lahaina town on Wednesday.
Widespread damage to the town, the harbor and surrounding areas are being documented, the county said.
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen earlier confirmed that six people have died due to the Lahaina fires.
A federal team arrived on Maui Wednesday and is on the ground in Lahaina to assist with search and rescue efforts.
As of Wednesday afternoon, MFD reported no significant changes for the Lahaina, Upcountry and Pulehu fires. Containment numbers were not available. No new evacuations had been ordered.
MFD has requested 20 additional firefighters from Honolulu and an incident management team. Close to 100 Maui firefighters have been on duty around the clock, including 11 from state airport firefighting and rescue personnel. Four helicopters have been deployed for water drops in Lahaina.
Lahaina remains closed to drivers during the active fire, but people already in Lahaina are being allowed to exit via Kahakuloa. Maui police are stationed at Maalaea and Waihee to prevent entry to Lahaina until the area is secure. Only Kahakuloa residents may access Kahakuloa via Waihee.
UPDATE 11 A.M.:
Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen confirmed six people have died so far due to the Maui fires that have burned a vast portion of Lahaina town as well as multiple homes and structures Upcountry.
“This is devastating to our community,” Bissen said during a remote appearance at a Honolulu news conference with county and state officials on Wednesday morning. “This is a time for us to come together. This is a time for us to care for each other.”
He said there have been 13 total evacuations, 16 road closures and five shelters opened as a result of the fire.
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who is serving as acting governor with Gov. Josh Green out of state, told travelers during the news conference that “this is not a safe place to be.”
“We have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed,” Luke said. “We are doing whatever we can.”
She said Green is flying home early from traveling on the Mainland in response to fires on Maui and Hawaii island.
UPDATE 9:30 A.M.:
Firefighting crews are continuing to battle fires in Lahaina, Pulehu and Upcountry, with no change in containment since Tuesday, the county said Wednesday morning at 9:30 a.m.
Four helicopters launched this morning to assist in the firefighting efforts after weather conditions improved. Strong winds, including gusts of up to 80 mph, had made conditions unsafe for helicopter operations.
More than 2,100 people were housed overnight in four emergency shelters at Maui Preparatory Academy in Napili, Maui High School in Kahului, War Memorial Center and Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani. Evacuees at Maui Prep were notified to leave to go to Kaanapali hotels to gather their belongings and evacuate Lahaina through Kahakuloa.
Another 2,000 travelers from canceled and arriving flights Tuesday were sheltered overnight at Kahului Airport, with plans underway for transporting them off island.
Kihei residents who were evacuated Tuesday night due to a fire in Pulehu were cleared to return to their homes shortly after 6 a.m. Wednesday.
UPDATE 4 A.M.:
All roads in Lahaina town have been closed and no traffic is being allowed into West Maui except for emergency personnel, according to a county alert shortly before 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Road closures include all roads between Wahikuli Wayside Park on the north to Kai Hele Ku Street to the south.
Honoapiilani Highway is closed at Maalaea to Lahaina-bound traffic, while Kahekili Highway is closed at Waihee to Lahaina-bound traffic.
More evacuations were ordered throughout the night, including for residents of Kaanapali Golf Estates area, including Kaulapa Loop, Puu Anoano Street, Hakui Loop and Wekio Place.
UPDATE 1 A.M.:
The Maui Fire Department is advising immediate proactive evacuation of residents of Holopuni and Pulehu roads in Kula, subdivisions north and south of Lipoa Parkway down to Maui Meadows and Ohukai subdivision in Kihei, the county said shortly before 1 a.m.
Some shelters have also been shifted to move residents to safer areas. The Lahaina Civic Center evacuation site has been moved to Maui Preparatory Academy in Napili-Honokowai to place evacuees away from impacted Lahaina town. Residents at the Kihei Community Center evacuation site have been relocated to Maui High School as a precautionary measure.
Shelters do not provide bedding, toiletries and personal care items, the county said. Pet owners using the shelters need to properly restrain pets.
UPDATE 12 A.M.:
Maui County issued more evacuation orders for residents in Upcountry and South Maui as it continued to battle fires across the island in the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Residents of Upper Kimo Road have been ordered to evacuate immediately, the Maui Emergency Management Agency announced on social media shortly after midnight. A shelter is open at the Mayor Hannibal Tavares Community Center.
Residents mauka of Piilani Highway up to and including Maui Meadows have also been ordered to evacuate immediately. The nearest open shelter is at the Kihei Community Center.
Maui County also announced shortly after midnight that 911 service is currently unavailable in West Maui.
UPDATE 5 P.M.:
A flareup of a fire in Lahaina that was contained earlier this morning has forced multiple evacuations and road closures, according to Maui County.
Evacuations are occurring in the vicinity of Lahainaluna Road, Hale Mahaolu and Lahaina Bypass, the county said shortly before 5 p.m. People on the west side are advised to shelter in place unless evacuations are ordered.
Multiple roads, including Honoapiilani Highway from Hokiokio Place to Lahaina Bypass, are closed due to downed power lines.
Kahakuloa is closed to outside traffic. Only village residents are being allowed to travel through the remote side of Kahekili Highway.
Maui County said a brush fire of about 3 acres fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora was reported at 6:37 a.m. today in the area of Lahainaluna Road. After area evacuations, the fire was declared 100 percent contained before 9 a.m. However, an afternoon flareup forced the closure of the bypass.
The American Red Cross opened Lahaina Civic Center as an evacuation center and will keep it open until further notice.
Meanwhile, in Kula, the Maui Fire Department is calling for the immediate evacuation of residents of the subdivision including Kulalani Drive and Kulalani Circle as well as the immediate proactive evacuation of residents of Piiholo and Olinda roads as a roughly 1,000-acre fire spreads Upcountry.
The fire was reported at 12:22 a.m. today near Olinda Road and led to early-morning evacuations of residents in the Kula 200 and Hanamu Road areas. Crews are actively battling the fire, which has reached as far as Kualono Place near the Kula Lodge.
Trees and downed power lines on Olinda and Piiholo roads have been cleared to make one lane passable for cars and small trucks.
Erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes, dropping humidity and the direction and location of the fire conditions make it difficult to predict the path and speed of a wildfire, Maui fire officials warned. When wind sends fire embers up and sparks ignite fires downwind, fires can start at a far distance from their source.
The American Red Cross has opened the Hannibal Tavares Community Center in Pukalani as an evacuation center. Pet owners using the shelter need to have pets properly restrained, the county said.
Kaonoulu Ranch opened Oskie Rice Arena in Makawao for residents needing to evacuate farm and ranch animals.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
High winds have been a concern across the state over the past few days, with the National Weather Service issuing a red flag warning through 6 a.m. Wednesday as high winds and low humidity elevate fire risk, especially in leeward areas.
Hawaiian Electric Co. is asking residents in West Maui and Upcountry to potentially prepare for an extended outage into the late evening as crews work to complete extensive repairs to poles and power lines downed by the high winds. Additional crews are arriving from Oahu to help with the restoration efforts.
About 12,400 customers are offline in West Maui, where crews are making repairs to about 30 downed poles and multiple spans of power lines in various areas, including in Puamana along Honoapiilani Highway.
About 600 customers are impacted Upcountry, including parts of Olinda and Piiholo, Makawao and Kula. Crews are making repairs to more than 30 spans of downed power lines.
Customers whose power is not restored by 7 p.m. this evening can plan for possible overnight outages, the company said.
Hawaiian Electric Co. is advising residents to stay at least 30 feet or more away from downed power lines, which may be energized. Downed power lines can be reported to 911 or HECO’s trouble line at (808) 871-7777.
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