Maui latest: Lahaina’s historic Front Street burns as wildfires tear through Hawaiian island

Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including Maui’s historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations on Wednesday 9 August.

Footage shows fires raging close to the streets of the town, as black smoke fills the air.

The US Coast Guard responded to areas where people went into the ocean to escape the flames and smoky conditions, tweeting that a crew rescued 12 people from the water off Lahaina.

Fires raged close to an area of the town popular with tourists, including Front Street.