There is no deadline on the Hawaiian island of Maui, where the situation is serious. Last evening, 11 August, new evacuation orders were issued by local authorities in Maui County after an outbreak was reported in Kaanapali, a western city about 6.5km north of Lahaina: in the evening the fire was under control. The new fire broke out near a gas station used to deliver gas and diesel to residents and was “100 percent contained” by 8:30 p.m. local time, shortly after the evacuations announced by the police were halted.
But the death toll in the US state is alarming. The death toll from the Hawaii fire has increased from 65 previously reported to 80, but this is still a tentative estimate. In the meantime, there will be about a thousand people who are not informed. It is feared that 60 Italians might be in the archipelago at the time of the tragedy. “US officials have confirmed to us that there were no citizens among the victims,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said.
What is currently manifesting itself on the island of Hawaii is “scenes from Pompeii”. This is a ruined interpretation of Rosalinda Mariotti, a chef originally from Perugia who has lived in Kihei, west of Lahaina, the historical and touristic center of the island of Maui, for eight years. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Mariotti said: “It’s such a disgrace for such a small island. The situation is very bad. The death toll is increasing all the time. I know people who are still looking for family members: there is a list at the reception places, they are all full. The cook, the fires broke out.” He says he was evacuated the first night “as a precaution”. We were lucky. The fire is out here 60 percent, but yesterday I saw the fire go out too. We returned home, but these days we sleep in clothes because it doesn’t rain, the air is always dry.” Firefighters continue to work in Lahaina and other parts of the island affected by devastating fires.
The toll of the fires is even more severe than the 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people on the island of Hawaii. Efforts to extinguish the flames continue, but the Lahaina fire has not yet been brought under control. The magnitude of these fires, among the worst in archipelago history, was due to hurricane winds that fanned the flames, as well as drought in most parts of Hawaii, including the entire island of Maui. Hawaii Governor Josh Green visited the area affected by the fires and said thousands of locals and tourists were evacuated.
The fire nearly destroyed the historic city of Lahaina, the former capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19th century. Houses, shops, cars: most of the elements of this seaside town of 12,000 are nothing more than a pile of ashes in a doomsday city. Hawaii prosecutors announced an investigation into how authorities handled the devastating fires that killed at least 80 people.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
