Devastating fires have killed 36 people and razed a tourist town on the American archipelago of Hawaii, a toll that is likely to increase in view of the “horror movie” scenes recounted by the inhabitants. The National Guard has been activated and President Joe Biden declared a natural disaster on Thursday August 10, which will allow the release of significant federal aid to finance relief, emergency accommodation and reconstruction efforts.

Fueled by strong winds, fed by the force of Hurricane Dora which is currently passing through the Pacific Ocean, the fires mainly affect the island of Maui and to a lesser extent that of Hawaii. The resort town of Lahaina, on Maui’s west coast, was virtually burned to the ground. This historic city – it was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii in the 19th century – has been “annihilated”, Deputy Governor of the State Sylvia Luke told reporters. “It’s so shocking, upsetting. »

Thirty-six bodies were discovered in the rubble, according to an official report which is likely to increase. More than 270 buildings were damaged or destroyed in the city, according to the latest count from authorities. “We’re trying to save lives and I don’t feel like we’re getting the help we need,” said Lahaina resident Kekoa Lansford. “We still see dead bodies floating in the water and on the dikes,” as many locals pinned down by the flames threw themselves into the sea, he added.

Further bus evacuations for residents and tourists are scheduled for Thursday morning in Maui, authorities said. Visitors will be taken to Kahului Airport, residents to a shelter, Maui County said. Thousands of people have already been evacuated from the disaster areas to emergency centers or the airport.

The dazzling fires forced residents to throw themselves into the ocean to escape the flames. Coastguards said they rescued dozens of people from the waters. “The situation developed very quickly and it was quite distressing for the victims who had to jump into the water,” Captain Aja Kirksey told CNN on Thursday.

Since the helicopters were unable to approach “due to the extremely low visibility”, it was the Coast Guard vessels that went to pick up the people, she said. Residents described apocalyptic scenes, such as Claire Kent, whose home was destroyed and who spoke to CNN about “horror-movie-worthy” images in Lahaina. She described the chaos that gripped the township with “people stuck in traffic” amid “burning cars on both sides of the road”.

A law enforcement officer told AFP on condition of anonymity to expect the death toll to rise again as the clearing continues. “It’s hard to see some of the images coming from Hawaii, a place that is so dear to so many of us,” Hawaii-born former President Barack Obama wrote on X (formerly Twitter). by calling for donations.

The wind knocked down many utility poles and communication networks were cut on part of Maui. This greatly complicated the task of rescue, because even the 911 emergency call service was not working in some areas of the island.

According to the PowerOutage site, around 11,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity on Thursday in the archipelago. While fires aren’t unusual in Hawaii, they “are burning over a larger area than usual, and fire behavior is extreme, with rapid spread and high flames,” Dr. Thomas Smith said. , Associate Professor of Environmental Geography at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

He spoke of conditions conducive to the blaze this year: “particularly parched” vegetation on Maui, below-average rainfall this spring, and higher-than-usual temperatures. Not to mention the impact of the hurricane, yet located hundreds of kilometers to the southwest, and a depression to the west, near Japan, which help to feed the winds, he said. “It’s unusual for this time of year” and is causing “very fast fires,” he concluded.

“These fires and any severe storms that we continue to see are undoubtedly caused by what is happening with rising temperatures around the world,” a White House spokesperson said. “And we have to take this seriously,” John Kirby told CNN.