Hawaii: deadly wildfires devastate Maui island, death toll rises to 89

Hawaii Governor Josh Green said on Saturday the death toll from devastating wildfires on the island of Maui had risen to 89, making it the deadliest in the U.S. in the past century.

Green told a news conference the figure would rise further as the emergency response operation continues.

An inferno had swept through the centuries-old town of Lahaina on Maui’s west coast four days earlier and torched hundreds of homes and turned a lush, tropical area into a moonscape of ash.

At least two other fires have been burning on the island, with no fatalities reported thus far: in south Maui’s Kihei area and in the mountainous, inland communities known as Upcountry.

Green said Hawaii was receiving "generous" support from the "highest level" with losses from the disaster currently estimated at close to $6 billion.

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