Wildfires in Hawaii have killed at least 67 people – the deadliest natural disaster since it became a US state in 1959.
Search teams are continuing to scour the charred ruins of Lahaina – a town on Maui island – with the help of cadaver dogs.
Governor Josh Green has warned that the number of fatalities will continue to rise, with the death toll now surpassing the 61 people who lost their lives in a 1960 tsunami.
It comes as investigators try to determine what caused the fire to sweep through Lahaina at terrifying speed – decimating the popular resort with little warning.
Emergency sirens are meant to warn of impending danger to life but failed to trigger before the blaze began.
Survivors have said they didn’t hear any of the alarms and only became aware when they saw flames or heard explosions.
Officials have also not yet detailed exactly what kind of text, phone or email alerts were sent.
Thousands of people have been left homeless and about 1,000 buildings destroyed, with before and after images showing the terrible aftermath of the disaster.
This story originally appeared on Skynews
