Hawaii: People jump into the sea to save themselves from the flames

because of Wildfires and severe forests In Hawaii, authorities have asked several people to get to safety. Authorities said the fires, fueled by Hurricane Dora, broke out on the islands of Maui and Hawaii (the Big Island) on Wednesday. Acting Governor Sylvia Locke declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard.

Among other things, the Popular with tourists on the west coast of Maui. There, people even jumped into the sea to escape the flames. Recently renamed X, the US Coast Guard announced on its Twitter online platform that it had rescued 12 people from the water.

Emergency call service was also down on the west side of Maui. Among other things, hotels and tourists could no longer be reached due to malfunctioning mobile phone antennas, according to the emergency official.

Hospitals are overcrowded

Maui County Director of Communications and Public Affairs Mahina Martin told CNN that the fires in three areas of the island were “in no way contained.”

She said about 2,000 people are stuck at the local airport with nowhere to go. The fire destroyed businesses on Front Street, a major tourist thoroughfare in the historic city of Lahaina, Maui, according to CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now. Elsewhere on the island, the Upcountry fire is estimated to be around 1,000 hectares in size, according to authorities. The evacuation order for the south side of Maui came after a residential and commercial eviction order went into effect.

Hospitals on Maui are overwhelmed with patients with burns and people suffering from smoke inhalation, Sylvia Locke said: “The fact that we have wildfires in several areas indirectly attributed to the hurricane, is unprecedented. It is something that the people of Hawaii and the state have never experienced.” before “.

With materials from Agence France-Presse

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