Lahaina, a historic town on Hawaii’s island of Maui, was destroyed by wildfires sparked by hurricane winds.

The US senator from the state, Brian Schatz, said on social media that Lahaina is “nearly completely destroyed”.

According to officials, at least six people were killed in Maui County on Wednesday.

In recent weeks, Maui’s hospital system has been overwhelmed with burn victims and people suffering from smoke inhalation.

According to Mr Schatz, firefighter efforts remain focused on containing the fires, while our first responders are involved in search and rescue operations.

Early on Wednesday, some people were reported to have jumped into the ocean to escape the rapidly moving flames. At least 12 people were rescued from the water by the US Coast Guard.

In a news conference, Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen Jr said that many homes and businesses were completely destroyed.

Local media reported that every boat in the town harbour was burning according to a resident of the town of around 12,000 people.

In an interview with Hawaii News Now, Chrissy Lovitt said the structure looks like something from a war movie.

It is still difficult to determine the true extent of the damage on Maui, and the death toll may rise. A total of 2,100 people have been displaced.

Lahaina residents’ relatives are concerned about missing family members.

According to Hawaii News Now, Tiare Lawrence still does not know where his little brother is. The whereabouts of my stepdad are unknown to me.

The homes of everyone I know in Lahaina have burned down, Ms Lawrence said.

There were almost 13,000 people without power on Maui, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

As a result of the fires, thousands were without cell phone service, and 911 services were down in West Maui on Wednesday.

Three large fires remain active and out of control on Maui, officials said.

The Big Island, also known as Hawaii island, a neighbouring island to Maui, is also burning.