New York, 12 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) - The death toll from the devastating wildfires on the island of Maui in the US state of Hawaii has risen to 80, the local authorities said late on Friday.

Firefighters continued working to bring fires under control in various parts of the island, the Maui County government said.

A fire near a county-owned fuel station in Kaanapali was fully contained by the evening, it said. Hundreds of vehicles had lined up there for fuel. But no fuel would be dispensed there on Saturday, the statement said.

Evacuations had been ordered due to the forest fire in the popular beach area in the west of the island.

Earlier, Maui County announced a death toll of 67. Hawaii Governor Josh Green said however that the number would continue to rise.

So far, he said, most of the victims identified were those who had fled their homes at the time of their deaths.

The small town of Lahaina, in the west of the island, was almost totally razed.

According to Green, the first residents were able to return to their homes there on Friday. But he told TV station KHON2 that returning residents would see "destruction like they’ve not ever seen in their lives."

The devastating fires broke out on Maui and the neighbouring island of Hawaii on Tuesday, spreading rapidly as winds of up to 130 kilometres per hour fanned the flames.

There has been loud criticism because no warning sirens were sounded before the fireball hit Lahaina.

Fire Chief Bradford Ventura said the fires had spread surprisingly quickly and that it had been "almost impossible" to order evacuations quickly enough.

About 1,700 buildings on Maui have been destroyed, according to US broadcaster CNN.

Green said, according to CNN, that he had ordered an investigation into the authorities' initially slow response.

Photo: MIA archive