Hawaii wildfires: King and Queen 'utterly horrified' as death toll hits 89
Approximately 30,000 people have been moved off the island since Wednesday after wildfires spread across Maui
The King and Queen have sent a message of condolence to US President Joe Biden, offering their "deepest possible sympathy" to families in Hawaii after wildfires ravaged one its islands.
At least 80 people have been killed after "catastrophic" wildfires devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui, with another 1,000 feared missing.
The death toll rose on Friday, reaching a grim milestone which confirmed the wildfires as the deadliest natural disaster in the island state's history.
Residents have started returning to their neighbourhoods to find blackened hulks of burned-out cars, the pavement streaked with melted and then rehardened chrome.
ITV News correspondent Peter Smith reports live from the devastated community of Kula, on the island of Maui
Charles wrote to Joe Biden: "My wife and I were utterly horrified to hear of the catastrophic wildfires currently burning in Maui, Hawai’i.
"We can only begin to imagine the scale of the devastation engulfing the island, and the heartrending anguish of those whose livelihoods have been so disastrously affected.
"However inadequate it may be, we both wanted to send our deepest possible sympathy to the families of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and our prayers remain with all those whose loved ones are missing and whose homes have been destroyed.
"As the recovery effort continues, my special thoughts are with the extraordinarily brave emergency responders and Maui residents who are providing their support and assistance."
President Joe Biden declared a major disaster on Maui and pledged that the federal response will ensure that “anyone who’s lost a loved one, or whose home has been damaged or destroyed, is going to get help immediately.”
Search and rescue teams from California and Washington state, which are trained in disaster skills including using dogs to find human remains, have been deployed to Maui to assist with the process.
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said: “We have to respect that we have loved ones in that earth and we have to get them out,” adding that his officers are trained to catch “bad guys” and not specifically to pull bodies from buildings.
Approximately 30,000 people have been moved off the island since Wednesday, according to the Hawai’i Tourism Authority.
The state is now scrambling to find 2,000 rooms for thousands of displaced residents. Those with spare rooms or rental properties have been asked to come forward.
On Thursday nearly 11,000 people across Maui are without power, according to poweroutage.us.
The official death toll makes this the deadliest US wildfire since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people.
Hawaiian native and actor Jason Momoa has warned holidaymakers not to travel to Maui.
Alongside a video shared on his Instagram which showed the raging fire, the Aquaman star wrote: “Maui is not the place to have your vacation right now.
“Do not travel to Maui.
"Do not convince yourself that your presence is needed on an island that is suffering this deeply.
“Mahalo to everyone who has donated and shown aloha to the community in this time of need.”
In the video post, which the actor reshared from another account, it said: “Our community needs time to heal, grieve and restore.
“That means the less visitors on island taking up critical resources that have become extremely limited the better.”
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...