Death Toll in Hawaii Wildfire Rises to 67

The death toll from wildfires in the U.S. state of Hawaii rose to 67, Maui County officials said Friday. Firefighters continue to fight the fire, which is not yet under control.

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As firefighting efforts continue, 12 additional deaths were confirmed as of Friday afternoon amid the Lahaina fire, bringing the death toll to 67 people, according to a news release issued by authorities.

Early Friday, Maui County announced limited access to the area affected by the fire and a curfew from 22:00 local time until 06:00 daily in the historic town of Lahaina.

West Maui remaineFirefighters continue to fight the fire, which is not yet under control.d without power and water Friday and search crews were still looking for wildfire victims in urban Lahaina.

Lahaina residents were able to return to their homes for the first time to assess the damage. Nearly all buildings were reportedly reduced to rubble on Front Street.

Surviving residents of the fire have reported that they did not hear any sirens or receive any warnings to give them enough time to prepare. They only realized they were in danger when they saw flames or heard explosions nearby, many citizens have reported to local media. 

It is believed that widespread power and cell phone network outages may have limited the reach of alerts sent by authorities to cell phones and television and radio stations.

Governor Josh Green warned that the death toll will likely rise as search and rescue operations continue. The governor warned of the highly dangerous situation noting that "recovery is going to be extraordinarily complicated."

Fueled by a dry summer and high winds from the passage of Hurricane Dora, at least three wildfires broke out on Maui this week. The fires advanced rapidly through the parched brush that covers the island.