- Israel orders Beirut residents to flee after Hezbollah targets Haifa area
- Davis, LeBron power Lakers over Pelicans as Celtics win in OT
- Trump and allies return to New York for UFC fights
- Hong Kong political freedoms in spotlight during bumper trial week
- Debt-saddled Laos struggles to tame rampant inflation
- Senna, Schumacher... Beganovic? Macau GP showcases future F1 stars
- India's vinyl revival finds its groove
- G20 tests Brazil's clout in Lula 3.0 era
- Over 20,000 displaced by gang violence in Haiti: UN agency
- Famed gymastics coach Bela Karolyi dies
- 'Break taboos': Josep Borrell wraps up time as EU's top diplomat
- Climate finance can be hard sell, says aide to banks and PMs
- Trump revives 'peace through strength,' but meaning up to debate
- New York auction records expected for a Magritte... and a banana
- Egypt's middle class cuts costs as IMF-backed reforms take hold
- Beirut businesses struggle to stay afloat under Israeli raids
- Dupont lauds France 'pragmatism' in tight New Zealand win
- Swiatek leads Poland into maiden BJK Cup semi-final
- Trump taps fracking magnate and climate skeptic as energy chief
- West Indies restore pride with high-scoring win over England
- Hull clings to one-shot lead over Korda, Zhang at LPGA Annika
- Xi tells Biden ready for 'smooth transition' to Trump
- Trump nominates fracking magnate and climate skeptic as energy secretary
- Tyson says 'no regrets' over loss for fighting 'one last time'
- Springboks' Erasmus hails 'special' Kolbe after England try double
- France edge out New Zealand in Test thriller
- Xi tells Biden will seek 'smooth transition' in US-China ties
- Netherlands into Nations League quarter-finals as Germany hit seven
- Venezuela to free 225 detained in post-election unrest: source
- Late Guirassy goal boosts Guinea in AFCON qualifying
- Biden arrives for final talks with Xi as Trump return looms
- Dominant Sinner cruises into ATP Finals title decider with Fritz
- Dinosaur skeleton fetches 6 million euros in Paris sale
- Netherlands-Hungary Nations League match interrupted by medical emergency
- Kolbe double as South Africa condemn England to fifth successive defeat
- Kolbe at the double as South Africa condemn England to fresh defeat
- Kolbe at the double as South Africa beat England 29-20
- 'If I don't feel ready, I won't play singles,' says Nadal ahead of Davis Cup farewell
- Fifth of dengue cases due to climate change: researchers
- Trump's Republican allies tread lightly on Paris pact at COP29
- Graham equals record as nine-try Scotland see off tenacious Portugal
- Protesters hold pro-Palestinian march in Rio ahead of G20
- Graham equals record as nine-try Scotland see off dogged Portugal
- China's Xi urges APEC unity in face of 'protectionism'
- Japan's Kagiyama, Yoshida sweep gold in Finland GP
- Macron to press Milei on climate action, multilateralism in Argentina talks
- Fritz reaches ATP Finals title decider with Sampras mark in sight
- All eyes on G20 for breakthrough as COP29 climate talks stall
- Fritz battles past Zverev to reach ATP Finals title decider
- Xi, Biden to meet as Trump return looms
Wind-whipped Hawaii wildfires force evacuations, water rescues
Wildfires whipped by hurricane winds triggered evacuations in parts of Hawaii on Wednesday with the Coast Guard rescuing some residents forced into the ocean to escape the smoke and flames, officials said.
Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke issued an emergency declaration and told CNN that the hospital system on the island of Maui "was overburdened with burn patients, people suffering from inhalation."
Luke did not provide any figures on the number of injured but said "the reality is that we need to fly people out of Maui to give them burn support."
"911 is down. Cell service is down. Phone service is down. And that's been part of the problem," she said.
Luke, who activated the National Guard to help respond to the fires, said evacuations were underway on Maui but she did not have figures for the number of people who have been forced to flee their homes.
The worst damage appeared to be in the tourist town of Lahaina on the northwestern tip of Maui, one of a number of islands which make up the US state in the Pacific.
Video posted on social media by residents showed fast-moving blazes tearing through the town and sending up huge plumes of black smoke into the air.
"People are jumping into the water to avoid the fire," US Army Major General Kenneth Hara told Hawaii News Now. "The Coast Guard is providing support as we speak."
The Coast Guard said it had "successfully rescued 12 individuals from the waters off Lahaina" and it was sending other vessels to Maui.
Tiare Lawrence, a resident of Lahaina, said she was trying to reach her family members.
"I'm currently upcountry," Lawrence told Hawaii News Now. "I still don't know where my little brother is. I don't know where my stepdad is.
Luke, the lieutenant governor, said the fires were caused by dry conditions and the powerful winds from Hurricane Dora, which is hundreds of miles south of the islands and is not expected to make landfall.
She said the fires have burned hundreds of acres and were being fanned by winds up to 80 miles (130 kilometers) per hour.
B.Torres--AT