US President Joe Biden has declared a “major disaster” in Hawaii as the death toll from catastrophic wildfires on Maui Island climbed to 36.
Horror scenes have emerged in the holiday town of Lahaina which was gutted by ferocious flames and turned into a charred wasteland.
Burnt-out cars line the waterfront, boats in the harbor are scorched, and grey smoke hovers over the leafless skeletons of blackened trees.
One resident told the BBC that people were struggling to get help to recover dead bodies strewn on the historic town’s waterfront.
“This is not even the worst of it. Still got dead bodies in the water floating, and on the sea wall,” the man said in a BBC video.
“They’ve been sitting there since last night. We’ve been pulling people out since last night. Trying to save people’s lives and I feel like we’re not getting the help we need.”
The flames left some people with mere minutes to act and led some to flee into the ocean.
Maui County said at least 36 people had died, making it the deadliest US wildfire since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and laid waste to the town of Paradise.
The Hawaii toll could rise, though, as rescuers access parts of the island that had been unreachable due to ongoing fires or obstructions.
Tweet from @KanekoaTheGreat
Mr Biden’s “major disaster” declaration means the federal government will provide funding to assist with rescue and recovery.
“Anyone who’s lost a loved one, whose home has been damaged or destroyed, will get help immediately,” Mr Biden said.
“We’re working as quickly as possible to fight these fires and evacuate residents and tourists.
“In the meantime our prayers are with the people of Hawaii, but not just our prayers. Every asset we have will be available to them.”
Tweet from @US_Stormwatch
Officials said on Thursday (AEDT) that 271 structures had been damaged or destroyed and dozens of people had been injured.
“We are still in life preservation mode. Search and rescue is still a primary concern,” Adam Weintraub, a spokesperson for Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
He said search and rescue teams still wouldn’t be able to reach certain areas until the fire lines were secure and places were safe to access.
“What we have here is a natural disaster,” Mr Weintraub said. “But we still got people in danger. We still have people who don’t have homes. We still have people who can’t find their loved ones.”
As the fires raged, tourists were advised to stay away, and about 11,000 flew out of Maui on Wednesday (local time), with at least another 1,500 expected to leave on Thursday (local time).
The fires were fanned by strong winds from Hurricane Dora passing far to the south. It’s the latest in a series of disasters caused by extreme weather around the globe this summer. Experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of such events.
The Big Island is also currently seeing blazes, Mayor Mitch Roth said, although there had been no reports of injuries or destroyed homes there.
Richard Bissen Jnr, the Maui County mayor, said officials hadn’t yet begun investigating the immediate cause of the fires.