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The historic Waiola Church in Lahaina, Hawaii, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday.Matthew Thayer / The Maui News via AP

Photos: Wildfires rip through Maui, destroying the historic town of Lahaina

In one photo, the devastated community of Lahaina resembles a war zone, coated in shades of gray and black.

Windswept wildfires ravaged the Hawaiian island of Maui last week week, killing more than 100 people and decimating a historic seaside town.

The images captured by photographers are apocalyptic: charred buildings, ash-strewn streets, scorched palm trees, abandoned cars, waterfronts bathed in a sickly haze.

In one photo, the devastated community of Lahaina resembles a war zone, coated in shades of gray and black. In another photo, a woman outside an evacuation center appears to break down crying.

The before-and-after satellite images are stark: stretches of lush greenery reduced to nothing, homes and tourist destinations leveled to the ground.

Image: A fire tears through Kihei late Wednesday.
A monstrous fire tears through Kihei late Wednesday.Ty O'Neil / AP
Image: A charred boat and a scorched waterfront in Lahaina on Wednesday.
A charred boat and a scorched waterfront in Lahaina on Wednesday.Mason Jarvi / via Reuters

President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster on Maui, where firefighters are still working to put out the blazes. Gov. Josh Green has warned that the death toll is likely to rise as search-and-rescue operations continue.

Image: Myrna Ah Hee at an evacuation center in Wailuku on Thursday. Her home in Lahaina was spared, but the homes of many relatives were destroyed.
Myrna Ah Hee at an evacuation center in Wailuku on Thursday. Her home in Lahaina was spared, but the homes of many relatives were destroyed.Rick Bowmer / AP
Image: Before and after satellite images of the destruction in Lahaina, captured on Sept. 2022 and on Wednesday.
Before-and-after satellite images of the destruction in Lahaina, captured in September 2022 and on Wednesday.Planet Labs
Image: Lahaina's Front Street in the aftermath of the fires on Thursday.
Lahaina's Front Street in the aftermath of the fires on Thursday.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Image: Destroyed cars in Lahaina on Thursday.
Destroyed cars in Lahaina on Thursday.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Image: Before and after satellite images of the destruction in Lahaina, captured on Sept. 2022 and on Wednesday.
Before-and-after satellite images of the destruction in Lahaina, captured in September 2022 and on Wednesday.Planet Labs
Image: Passengers sleep on the floor of Kahului Airport on Tuesday. Flights were cancelled and delayed, leaving people stranded in Maui as fires raged.
Passengers sleep on the floor of Kahului Airport on Tuesday. Flights were cancelled and delayed, leaving people stranded in Maui as fires raged.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Image: A 150-year-old banyan tree stands among wildfire wreckage in Lahaina on Thursday. The survival of the tree is in question: many of its limbs have been scorched.
A 150-year-old banyan tree stands among wildfire wreckage in Lahaina on Thursday. The survival of the tree is in question: many of its limbs have been scorched.Rick Bowmer / AP
Image: Destroyed homes along the coast of Lahaina  on Thursday.
Destroyed homes along the coast of Lahaina on Thursday.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
Image: Volunteers with King's Cathedral Maui unload donations of supplies in Kahului on Thursday. The church is providing food and shelter for displaced families.
Volunteers with King's Cathedral Maui unload donations of supplies in Kahului on Thursday. The church is providing food and shelter for displaced families.Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
A man walks past wreckage in the wake of wildfires in Lahaina on Wednesday.
A man walks past wreckage in the wake of wildfires in Lahaina on Wednesday.Tiffany Kidder Winn / via AP
Image: A burned hillside in Lahaina as clouds break on Wednesday.
A burned hillside in Lahaina as clouds break on Wednesday.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images