Wildfires on Hawaii's Maui island and Big Island have killed at least 55 people.
Winds from Hurricane Dora, 1,200 kilometres southwest of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, have fanned the flames across the US state, officials say.
In addition to Dora, a low-pressure system to the west near Japan is also contributing to the high sustained winds. Dry vegetation is also a contributing factor. The spread of flammable non-native grasses such as Guinea grass in areas of former farmland and forest have created large amounts of small, easily ignited materials that increase the risk and severity of fire. Such grasses comprise 26 per cent of Hawaii, according to Pickett.
As of Friday evening, the Lahaina fire was 80 per cent contained, while the Pulehu fire, burning to the east, was 70 per cent contained. There was no estimate for the Upcountry fire in the mountainous center of the eastern mass of the island, Maui County said.Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds have burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town.
Thousands of tourists and Hawaii residents raced to escape homes on Maui as the Lahaina fire swept across the island, killing multiple people and burning parts of a centuries-old town.Hawaii is an archipelago about 3,200 km west of the US mainland. It is made up of eight main islands, including Hawaii, known as the Big Island. The island of Maui lies to the north and west of the island of Hawaii.
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