FLASH
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Residents of Maui, Hawaii today face a sad landscape of flattened houses, burned cars and ash-covered streets where buildings once stood as they take stock of their lives destroyed by the Hawaii island fire.
The death toll has risen to 89 as Hawaii's governor says the toll could rise further as hundreds of people are still missing.
Footage captured by a drone shows the devastation caused by wildfires that engulfed the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Dozens of people on the island have died in the fires, while many buildings and vehicles have also been destroyed. The coastal city attracts around two million tourists a year.
The fires are the state's deadliest natural disaster since a 1946 tsunami that killed more than 150 people on the Big Island, prompting the development of a statewide emergency system that includes sirens, which sound every months to test their readiness.
Four days after the disaster, it remains unclear whether residents received any warning before the fire engulfed their homes.
“Usually hurricane sirens are used or they do something to warn us. This time nothing. Everyone is evacuating based on word of mouth. That's why so many people were out on the streets, just hanging out, helpless," said Lahaina resident Sydney Carney.
President Joe Biden this week ordered federal aid after wildfires ravaged the resort town on the island of Maui.
“We have just approved a major disaster declaration for Hawaii, which will help people who desperately need help now. "Anyone who has lost a loved one, whose home has been damaged or destroyed, will receive immediate assistance," said US President Joe Biden.
Some people were forced to jump into the Pacific Ocean to escape. Lahaina's evacuation was complicated by its location between the coast and the hills, meaning there were only two exits at best.
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