Southern Nevada joins efforts to aid mass evacuations in Maui

LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — At least 53 people are dead as wildfires continue to spread across Maui in Hawai'i.

That makes this set of wildfires the deadliest wildfire incident since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and destroyed the city of Paradise.

According to Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin, there are three active wildfires burning on the island, as of late Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has canceled all high wind and red flag warning alerts for Hawai'i, however, wind gusts are still forecast to gust to 25-30 miles per hour on Thursday. The wildfires are continuing to spread due to strong trade winds and a pressure system that's also fueling Hurricane Dora, which passed about 700 miles south of Hawai'i.

RELATED LINK: Before and after images show true wildfire devastation on Maui

Nearly 100 Maui firefighters have been working around the clock to try to put those fires out, with at least 20 more firefighters requested from Honolulu, as well as an incident management team. Crews are also using two Chinook helicopters and four Windward Aviation helicopters to battle the fires with water drops.

The U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Navy have been conducting search and rescue efforts along the West Maui coastline. At least 30 U.S. Army service members arrived Wednesday night to help with search and recovery efforts on Thursday morning.

On Thursday, Clark County officials said a five-person team from Nevada Task Force 1 is leaving today to assist with search and recovery efforts in Maui. The team, which includes emergency responders from local jurisdictions and two K9s, is part of NV-TF1, Nevada's only Urban Search and Rescue team.

President Biden also approved Hawai'i's disaster declaration on Thursday. That will free up federal funding to help affected individuals in Maui County and will include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, among other programs.

"This will get aid into the hands of the people desperately, desperately needing help. Anyone who's lost a loved one whose home has been damaged," Biden said during a speech on Thursday. "Our prayers are with the people of Hawai'i. Every asset we have will be available to them. We've seen their homes, their businesses destroyed. Some have lost loved ones and it's not over yet."

As the wildfires continue to burn, it's causing issues with water pressure on the island as well as power outages. As of Thursday at noon, the Hawaiian Electric Company is reporting there are nearly 11,000 outages on Maui — that's about 15% of the island's customers.

Company representatives said power crews are currently working to repair downed lines, while additional crews are being deployed from Oahu.

RELATED: Barriers preventing Las Vegas locals from checking on family, friends in Hawaii

The Red Cross said they're working to help families locate missing loved ones, and have offered a hotline for those with concerns.

About 2,100 people stayed in Maui shelters on Tuesday night, according to Maui county officials. A mass bus evacuation route has been added to West Maui, which is currently transporting locals, as well as visitors from the Sheraton Maui Resort in Ka'anapali to the Kahului Airport.

Many roads are closed and with only one road in and out, it's hard for people to leave.

"It was somewhat challenging. At first, we got separated from our kids the day before because they were on the other side of the island. They ended up sleeping in their car that night," said tourist Orlando Rodriquez, who was visiting from Monterey, California. "They couldn't find a place because everything was super booked so they met us at the airport and instead of going the normal route, we have to go all the way around north."

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions around Lahaina, Kula, and Kihei.

Federal Aviation Administration

Hawai'i officials are asking travelers to stay away from the islands while evacuations are underway. They add more than 11,000 people left Maui on Wednesday and another 1,500 are expected to leave on Thursday.

On Wednesday night, Hawai'i Department of Transportation Director Ed Sniffen said airlines are bringing in larger planes and lowering fares to keep services running.

Southwest usually has more than 90 daily flights to and within Hawaii, and they've added additional flights for around $19 per ticket on Thursday and Friday.

Hawaiian Airlines also has flights for $19. Plus, Hawaiian Air officials said the airline has been concentrating its resources on transporting essential personnel and first responders.

"We're doing what we can to provide resources to take care of our employees and we're doing what we can to take care of our guests," Hawaiian Air CEO Peter Ingram said.

American Airlines has also added a flight, as well as up-sized previously existing flights from Maui to Los Angeles. United Airlines has canceled inbound flights to Maui, to allow the empty planes to be used to evacuate passengers to the mainland. Delta is operating additional flights out of Maui, putting fare caps in place, and offering travel waivers. Alaska Airlines said they're delaying some flights to Maui and are looking at possibly adding more rescue flights to help people evacuate.

According to Harry Reid International Airport, all flights to and from Maui and Honolulu on Thursday are on-time.

RELATED LINK: Airlines help more than 11,000 passengers escape Maui wildfires

Nevada leaders have also taken to social media to share their concerns and offer resources to the Hawaiian community in Las Vegas.

According to the Hawaiian Governor's Office, the Hawai'i Community Foundation is raising money to help communities affected by the wildfires. That campaign has already raised over $1 million.

The Hawaiian Chamber Of Commerce Foundation has also established a Business Relief Fund to help businesses that were impacted by the wildfires.

"The economic impact will be staggering. Businesses have been destroyed and hundreds of people are out of work," said Sherry Menor-McNamara, President and CEO of the Chamber Of Commerce Hawaii. "We are just beginning to understand the full impact these wildfires created for our businesses but we know the road to recovery will be challenging."

Donations can be made online here.

Here in the valley, Las Vegas local Jai Alboro is partnering up with local businesses to host donation drives. They are collecting first aid supplies, toiletries, water, dry food, and clothes.

You can drop those off at the locations listed below:

• Honors Brand - 9175 Las Vegas Boulevard South, #108
• 2 Scoops Of Aloha - 9620 South Las Vegas Boulevard, #N2
• 9th Island Kava, 5447 South Rainbow Boulevard, E7
• Generations Kitchen, 6280 South Valley View Boulevard, #100

Boyd Gaming, Vacations Hawaii, and The California Hotel & Casino have also contributed $100,000 to American Red Cross relief efforts in Maui.