Hawaii wildfires force evacuations and ocean rescues as people flee into water

Fire was widespread in Lahaina, including area popular with tourists, and traffic was very heavy as people tried to evacuateWildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities while rescuers pulled a dozen people from the ocean, after they dived in to escape smoke and flames.The US coast guard responded to areas where people went into the ocean to escape the fire and smoky conditions, Maui county said in a statement. The coast guard tweeted that a crew rescued 12 people from the water off Lahaina. Continue reading...