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Tragedy has struck the idyllic island of Maui, Hawaii, as wildfires continue to ravage the historic town of Lahaina.

The relentless inferno, fuelled by winds from a distant hurricane, has claimed the lives of at least 53 individuals and forced thousands to flee their homes.

Once a serene holiday destination, Lahaina’s picturesque neighbourhoods and cherished wildlife have fallen victim to the destructive flames, leaving devastation in their wake.

The town draws approximately 2 million tourists each year, making up 80% of the island’s visitors. It’s clear that the fire will have a big impact not only on those who have lost homes and family members, but for the economy of the whole island, long into the future.

The footage of the blaze resembles a high-budget CGI blockbuster, but sadly you don’t getter more real than this:

The heart-wrenching toll on the community is exacerbated by the loss of over 1700 buildings and billions of dollars in property, a stark reality highlighted by Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

In a chilling testament to the scale of destruction, local resident Mason Jarvi compared the destruction to the end-of-times:

“We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp. It’s like an apocalypse.”

Efforts to combat the blaze have yielded some progress, with authorities reporting that the fire was 80 percent contained by Thursday morning. That being said, the daunting aftermath of this disaster will take years, even decades, to recover from.

Widespread evacuation measures saw over 14 000 people displaced from their homes as Lahaina became a smouldering heap of rubble and ash.

“It’s going to take many years to rebuild Lahaina,” Green in a news conference, as officials began to map out a plan to shelter the newly homeless in hotels and tourist rental properties. At least the Hawaii Governor left residents with a glimmer of hope when talking about rebuilding the special tourist town:

“It will be a new Lahaina that Maui builds in its own image with its own values.”

Amidst these harrowing scenes, a resounding call to take action over climate change echoes louder than ever.

With terrifying scenes of natural destruction playing out across Europe and Canada wildfires going rogue this year alone, we cannot deny that scientists resolutely point to human-caused climate change as the catalyst for these intensifying weather extremes.

[sources:theindependent&reuters]