San Francisco, 11 August 2023 (dpa/MIA) — At least 53 people have been confirmed dead in the wildfire on Hawaii's Maui island, Maui County said in a statement on its website on Thursday.

"As firefighting efforts continue, 17 additional fatalities have been confirmed today amid the active Lahaina fire. This brings the death toll to 53 people," the brief statement said.

The 17 new fatalities were confirmed as of midday local time on Thursday (2200 GMT), the statement said. The firefighting and rescue work continues.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green told the US broadcaster CNN that up to 1,700 buildings in the hard-hit coastal town of Lahaina may have burned down.

"I'll tell you, by the time this disaster is all described, I'm sure there will be dozens of people that lost their lives and billions of dollars of property that was destroyed," Green told CNN.

It was unclear whether the death toll was expected to keep rising in the fires that were still active and raging out of control in Lahaina, a picturesque destination popular with tourists visiting the US archipelago in the Pacific.

Green told CNN that "about 80% of Lahaina is gone."

Dozens were also reported injured, said the TV station Hawaii News Now. People suffering from burn injuries and smoke inhalation were taken to hospital.

Witnesses described apocalyptic scenes, as people resorted to jumping into the sea to flee from the rapidly spreading flames. The coastguard later said more than a dozen were rescued from the water, according to CNN.

One resident, whose home was reportedly burned down, was quoted by Hawaii News Now as saying: "We've still got dead bodies floating on the seawall. They've been sitting there since last night. We've been pulling people out since last night, trying to save peoples' lives."

A state of emergency was declared for both Maui and Hawaii counties. US President Joe Biden issued a national disaster declaration.

There were two other uncontrolled large fires on the island, said Hawaii News Now. Fires were also raging on the neighbouring Big Island, the largest in chain of islands.

Parts of Maui are experiencing drought conditions.

Hurricane Dora, passing through the south of the US state's islands, helped accelerate the fires with its strong winds, said authorities.

Any travel to Maui was strongly advised against. Hawaii Deputy Governor Sylvia Luke said the island was not a safe place. The state of emergencies were intended to keep tourists away, she added.