Thousands of Hawaii residents scrambles to escape homes on Maui as blazes tore across the island, destroying swathes of a centuries-old town and killing at least 36 people in one of the deadliest United States. wildfires in recent years.

Whipped up by strong winds from Hurricane Dora, fire took the island by surprise, leaving burned-out cars on once busy streets in its wake and smoking piles of rubble where historic buildings had stood in the town of Lahaina.

The town, which dates back to the 1700’s, has long been a favorite destination of tourists.

Fire crews battled blazes in several places on Maui Wednesday, and the flames forced some adults and children to flee into the ocean.

According to the Hawaii Department of Transportation more than 11,000 people were flown out of Maui yesterday.