At least 93 people have died in wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii, officials said, a number expected to rise as the governor urged residents to shelter those who lost their homes.
The wildfires are the state’s deadliest natural disaster in decades, surpassing a 1960 tsunami that killed 61 people.
The updated death toll issued by Maui County on Saturday makes this the deadliest US wildfire since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed 85 people.
Governor Josh Green said the catastrophic flames have levelled the historic town of Lahaina, the worst natural disaster in Hawaii's history. More than 2,000 buildings have been destroyed, leaving thousands homeless.
Bill Wyland, who owns an art gallery on Lahaina's Front Street, fled on his Harley Davidson motorcycle. “It was devastating to see all the burned-out cars. There was nothing that was standing,” he said.
Resident Anthony Garcia said the fire had gutted the apartment he was renting and destroyed all his belongings and memories.
"It took everything, everything! It's heartbreaking," the 80-year-old California native said. "It's a lot to take in."
Officials were trying to find temporary housing for more than 4,000 people as the scale of the devastation became clear.
Flyovers by the Civil Air Patrol found 1,692 structures destroyed — almost all of them residential.
Officials have said 2,719 structures were exposed to the fire — with more than 80 per cent damaged or destroyed. Nine boats sank in Lahaina Harbour, officials determined using sonar.
Gov Green said it would take "many years" to rebuild the town that was once the capital of the former kingdom of Hawaii.
"What we saw was the utter devastation of Lahaina," he said. “Lahaina, with a few rare exceptions, has been burnt down.”
The Lahaina fire is not yet contained, AP reported.
President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a federal disaster declaration, freeing up resources to assist in recovery efforts.
Mr Biden spoke with the governor in a phone call, to “let him know we're going to make sure the state has everything it needs in the federal government to recover”. He also sent “his deep condolences for the lives lost and vast destruction of land and property”.
Firefighters from Honolulu have been requested to assist, while 30 US Army personnel arrived to begin search and recovery efforts.
“Our prayers with the people of Hawaii but not just our prayers, every asset we have will be available to them,” Mr Biden said while travelling to Utah.
“And we've seen their homes, their businesses destroyed, and some have lost loved ones.”
The flames and smoke had forced people to flee into the sea off Lahaina. The US Coast Guard said 14 people were rescued from the ocean.
Lahaina resident Emerson Timmins told AP: “There were those cars abandoned on the road. I don’t think those people could get out in time.
“They probably headed to the ocean, the ones that could make it.
“And the people leaving their homes, if a young person could barely get out of there with their family, then the elderly are trapped.”
Three days after the disaster, it remained unclear whether some residents had received any warning before the fire engulfed their homes.
The island includes emergency sirens intended to warn of natural disasters and other threats, but they did not appear to have sounded during the fire, Reuters reported.
Officials have not offered a detailed picture of what notifications were sent, and whether they went by text message, email or phone calls.
Lahaina residents Kamuela Kawaakoa and Iiulia Yasso also told AP they had been lucky to escape with their six-year-old child.
“It was so hard to sit there and just watch my town burn to ashes and not be able to do anything,” Mr Kawaakoa said. “I was helpless.”
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen said the fires have tested the community's resolve.
“We are grieving with each other during this inconsolable time,” he said in a recorded statement on the county's Facebook page.
“Even though we are hurting, we are still able to move forward – especially when we do it together. And the days ahead, we will be stronger as a 'kaiaulu', or community, as we rebuild with resilience.”
About 11,000 people were flown out of Maui on Wednesday with another 1,500 scheduled on Thursday, state transport director Ed Sniffen said.
About 2,100 people were crammed into shelters in Maui on Tuesday night, county officials said.
Strong winds produced by Hurricane Dora were contributing factors to the fires and blowing power lines down.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, last 16, first leg
Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
SQUADS
UAE
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Mohamed Usman (vice-captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Imran Haider, Tahir Mughal, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed, Fahad Nawaz, Abdul Shakoor, Sultan Ahmed, CP Rizwan
Nepal
Paras Khadka (captain), Gyanendra Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Pradeep Airee, Binod Bhandari, Avinash Bohara, Sundeep Jora, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Rohit Paudel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Basant Regmi, Pawan Sarraf, Bhim Sharki, Aarif Sheikh
Fixtures
Friday Leganes v Alaves, 10.15pm; Valencia v Las Palmas, 12.15am
Saturday Celta Vigo v Real Sociedad, 8.15pm; Girona v Atletico Madrid, 10.15pm; Sevilla v Espanyol, 12.15am
Sunday Athletic Bilbao v Getafe, 8.15am; Barcelona v Real Betis, 10.15pm; Deportivo v Real Madrid, 12.15am
Monday Levante v Villarreal, 10.15pm; Malaga v Eibar, midnight
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Saudi Cup race day
Schedule in UAE time
5pm: Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Cup (Turf), 5.35pm: 1351 Cup (T), 6.10pm: Longines Turf Handicap (T), 6.45pm: Obaiya Arabian Classic for Purebred Arabians (Dirt), 7.30pm: Jockey Club Handicap (D), 8.10pm: Samba Saudi Derby (D), 8.50pm: Saudia Sprint (D), 9.40pm: Saudi Cup (D)
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Various%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rosario%20Dawson%2C%20Natasha%20Liu%20Bordizzo%2C%20Lars%20Mikkelsen%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs: 2018 Alfa Romeo Stelvio
Price, base: Dh198,300
Engine: 2.0L in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 280hp @ 5,250rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7L / 100km
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
