Wildfires that ravaged parts of Maui became the deadliest in the United States in more than a century — its death toll nearly 115, and only expected to increase as search and rescue continues. What happened and how to help.
On August 8, a wildfire turned the Hawaiian Island of Maui into a deathtrap.
The fire came on so swiftly and so suddenly that it destroyed entire towns in just a few hours. Accounts indicate the horrors: residents and animals running into the ocean in a panic to escape the inferno, bumper-to-bumper traffic caused by deadly road conditions, the heat of the wind burning people’s skin, boats catching fire, fire hydrants running dry, emergency operators unresponsive. The fires rank among the top 10 worst wildfire disasters in US history.
How did the fire start?