Maui Wildfires: Residents Share Footage as 'Apocalyptic Scene' Unfolds

As wildfires and strong winds devastate parts of Hawaii, residents have begun documenting the "apocalyptic" chaos.

In footage shared on social media, clouds of dark smoke fill the air and strong gusts of wind fuel the spreading flames as a catastrophic scene unfolds in western Maui.

"This is what it looked like earlier on Maui. If you've been to my hometown of Lahaina...I fear it is no longer. I dread what it will look like in the morning. An apocalyptic scene is unfolding due to the fires raging across my island. Please pray for us," one heartbroken post read.

Another clip captures someone shouting, "It's hot!" as the wind rushes the raging fire on. According to the caption, condos in the area were later engulfed, leaving countless homes destroyed.

Screenshots of an aerial view over the district of Lahaina–the central site of the blaze–offer a clear visual of just how much has been destroyed, comparing the views now to what it once was.

Someone else compiled clips from all over the island, showing what the loss looks like on the ground.

Videos of people seeking shelter in the ocean have also gone viral, with multiple outlets confirming people are "hurling themselves into the ocean to escape the flames."

According to experts and satellite imagery, the disastrous "fire weather" is a result of the dry and windy conditions from Hurricane Dora feeding a string of wildfires on the coast Tuesday, Aug. 8, overnight into Wednesday.

On Front Street, a popular tourist destination in the town of Lahaina, business owner Alan Dickar recalled seeing buildings on both sides of the street "engulfed" in flames.

"There were no fire trucks at that point; I think the fire department was overwhelmed," Dickar told local reporters. Speaking later to CBS News' Patrick Torphy, he added: "Maui can't handle this. ... A lot of people just lost their jobs because a lot of businesses burned. A lot of people lost their homes. ... This is going to be devastating for Maui."

Related: Striking Footage Shows Home Falling into River in Alaska After Massive Flooding

The National Guard was authorized to be deployed in the area on Tuesday by Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who told CNN on Wednesday that "911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down."

"Our hospital system on Maui, they are overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation," she said. "The reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support because Maui hospital cannot do extensive burn treatment."

The state's governor Josh Green praised first responders' efforts but said there's only so much they can do, sharing the following statement: "Heroic efforts by first responders have prevented many casualties from occurring, but some loss of life is expected."

About 14,000 homes and businesses have been left without power, per PowerOutage.us, and so far six people are confirmed to have been killed by the wildfires.

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