KAHULUI: Wildfires fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane devastated Hawaii’s Maui island on Wednesday, killing six people and forcing tourists and residents to flee as beloved holiday destinations became flaming infernos.

Some people were forced to jump into the ocean to escape the smoke and fire conditions, prompting the US coast guard to rescue them, according to a Maui county press release.

The American Red Cross opened an evacuation centre in a school, the county said.

Six people had been confirmed killed by the fires, Maui county mayor Richard Bissen said at a press conference. Panicked residents fleeing the flames posted videos and photos on social media showing apocalyptic clouds of smoke billowing up over formerly once-idyllic beaches and palm trees.

The situation in Hawaii mirrored scenes of devastation elsewhere in the world this summer, as wildfires caused by record-setting heat forced the evacuation of tens of thousands of people in Greece, Spain, Portugal, and other parts of Europe.

Human-caused climate change, driven by fossil fuel use, is increasing the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events, scientists say, having long warned that government officials must slash emissions to prevent climate catastrophe.

Dustin Johnson, a native of San Diego, was in West Maui’s Lahaina working for a charter boat company that takes tourists on two-hour tours from the harbour.

“I was the last one off the dock when the firestorm came through the banyan trees and took everything with it,” he said in an interview.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2023