DENVER (KDVR) — At least 36 people were killed and more were hurt in a wildfire on Maui that decimated a historic town that’s popular with tourists.

The images coming in from the fire are devastating, with reports saying almost all of Lahaina is now gone. While it’s the main tourist area filled with local shops and restaurants along Front Street, it’s also a historical and meaningful area for the people of Hawaii.

“Lahaina is primarily one of the richest places as far as heritage for this state. It’s actually the original place of the Kingdom of Hawai’i. So a lot of rich heritage has been lost in the midst of this fire,” said Maj. Troy Trimmer, commander of the Hawaiian Pacific Islands Division for the Salvation Army.

FOX31 spoke with Trimmer on Wednesday. He used to live in Colorado but now works in Hawaii, where he’s now responding to the disaster’s aftermath. He said what’s happening on Maui is comparable to the biggest mainland fires you can think of.

“Maui is not used to the type of wildfire that we see on the mainland,” Trimmer said. “And so obviously, when 60 mph winds gust in a community like Lahaina that is incredibly compact — just for the reality that there is very little land mass and it’s historic, it’s pretty devastating.”

The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street
The hall of historic Waiola Church in Lahaina and nearby Lahaina Hongwanji Mission are engulfed in flames along Wainee Street on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, in Lahaina, Hawaii. (Matthew Thayer/The Maui News via AP)

Trimmer said some 2,000 local residents are without a place to live, and another 4,000 tourists no longer have lodging. They’re being flown to Honolulu and back to the mainland.

The Salvation Army is focused on feeding people in emergency shelters, Trimmer said. But he said because of the logistics and limits of the island, they can’t bring extra crews to help. They ask anyone who wants to donate to visit their website, hawaii.salvationarmy.org.

Crews on Maui were battling multiple blazes concentrated in two areas: the tourist destination of West Maui and an inland, mountainous region. The fire spread so fast and fierce that people had to jump into the ocean to escape the flames.

The National Weather Service said Hurricane Dora, which was passing to the south of the island chain at a safe distance of 500 miles (805 kilometers), was partly to blame for gusts above 60 mph (97 kph) that knocked out power, rattled homes and grounded firefighting helicopters. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.