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With close to $6 billion in estimated damages, this likely will be the largest natural disaster that Hawaii has ever experienced since becoming a state.
FILE -- chuchart duangdaw/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Dangerous wildfires are spreading rapidly on Maui due to very dry conditions stemming from a drought combined with powerful trade winds being squeezed across Hawaii. At least 55 people have died from the wildfires on Maui and much of the historic town of Lahaina has been "destroyed," according to officials. A state of emergency has been declared for the whole island, while all nonessential travel to the popular vacation destination is being discouraged, officials said. The Big Island of Hawaii has also been affected by wildfires. Th...
The Hawaii Department of Health and Maui County Department of Water Supply are advising residents of the affected area not to use tap water for drinking or cooking until further notice.
The County of Maui Department of Water Supply is issuing an unsafe water alert for areas of Upper Kula and Lahaina affected by wildfires. As a precaution, customers in those areas are advised not to drink and not to boil their water. Instead of tap water, customers are advised to use only bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, making ice and preparing food.
Firefighters battling Maui’s ferocious wildfires that killed at least 80 people and leveled entire communities have made some progress in containing the blazes, while search and rescue crews continue efforts to recover more bodies Saturday as the death toll is expected to climb.