Drone video captures Hawaii landscape scorched by deadly wildfires

Name: Deadly Lahaina fire leaves behind scorched landscape, drone footage shows
Uploaded: 2023-08-12T10:02:32-04:00
Duration: 5 min 20 s
Description: This footage of Lahaina’s Front Street was recorded by Javier Cantellops, who said he was flying his drone to help assess the damage to the town.

Deadly Lahaina fire leaves behind scorched landscape, drone footage shows

This footage of Lahaina’s Front Street was recorded by Javier Cantellops, who said he was flying his drone to help assess the damage to the town.

LAHAINA, Hawaii – A devastating firestorm has reduced many homes to ashes in Lahaina, a popular island tourist destination in Hawaii.

On Tuesday, brushfires fueled by high winds quickly spread and engulfed Lahaina on Maui's western side.

The wall of flames is to blame for the death of at least 93 individuals, with a significant number of those remains discovered in Lahaina, government officials said at last check. It makes it the deadliest US wildfire in over 100 years.

Lahaina residents have slowly been allowed to return but forced to wait hours in their vehicles parked on the main road into town before entering the fire zone due to a nightfall curfew.

HAWAII DEATH TOLL HITS 93 AND IS EXPECTED TO RISE, MAKING IT DEADLIEST US WILDFIRE IN OVER 100 YEARS

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed homes, buildings, and the harbor area burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows destroyed cars in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)

An aerial image taken on August 10, 2023 shows a person walking down Front Street past destroyed buildings burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. ( )

An aerial image shows a burned building in the historic Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 10, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP )

An aerial image shows a burned hillside above Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui in Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 10, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)

Burned cars, destroyed buildings and homes are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. (PAULA RAMON/AFP)

This aerial photo shows destroyed buildings and homes in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. (SEBASTIEN VUAGNAT/AFP)

The Ganer family look through the ashes of their family's home on Malolo Place in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii on August 11, 2023. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP)

Noe Lopes sits with her granddaughter Leilani and great granddaughter Kawehi as the sun sets on their third day of waiting to return home near Lahaina. They and other evacuees camped in a parking lot along the Honoapiilani Highway, hoping to be allowed back into Lahaina, two days after a devastating wildfire tore through the community. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Those who have come back, or even lucky to be alive, return to charred buildings and scorched cars in the wildfires' wake, drone footage captured Thursday by Javier Cantellops shows.

One estimate from the property data aggregator CoreLogic puts the estimate of destroyed homes at more than 3,000.

Cantellops said he was flying his drone to help assess the damage to the town.

It’s still unclear how the fires started, but when they did ignite, the island was ripe for an inferno. Extremely dry conditions combined with 70 to 80 mph winds fueled the flames and created a challenging battle for the island's firefighters.

If you are interested in helping the people of Lahaina and Maui, check out this page for suggestions.