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While the cause of the fire has not been determined, observers have pointed to downed power lines, sputtering fire hydrants, and emergency alarms that sat silent as factors that hampered the response to the deadly blaze.
Follow along for live updates of wildfires that are racing through Maui in Hawaii, destroying part of a historic town on the island.
Firefighters who rushed to contain the Maui wildfire found that hydrants were running dry, forcing crews to embark instead on a perilous rescue mission.
As the inferno stoked by powerful gusts grew, roaring further toward the historic center of town, the hydrants sputtered and became largely useless.
The collapse of the town’s water system is yet another disastrous factor in a confluence that ended up producing what is now the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years.