By Natalia Rueda 
On the island of Maui in Hawaii, a wildfire that began on Tuesday night has raged on for days, fueled by strong winds from Hurricane Dora. The result has been catastrophic: at least 36 people have died, 271 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and the western side of the island is mostly inaccessible due to the destruction.
One local resident described the devastation as an “apocalypse,” with entire neighborhoods reduced to ash. “We just had the worst disaster I’ve ever seen”, Helicopter pilot Richard Olsten described it as a “war zone.”
The fire was likely caused by strong winds accompanying Hurricane Dora, and spread rapidly due to its parched fuel: several months of drought had dried the surroundings for miles, leaving the land vulnerable to the sudden arrival of high winds. The fire also spread to the nearby island of Hawaii, but there thankfully the situation has not been as critical.
In Maui, however, the destruction and devastation remain. A full recovery is likely to take months; for now, the island’s inhabitants have been left to navigate the terrible aftermath of a firestorm like no other.