King Charles III has written a letter to US president Joe Biden saying he and Queen Camilla were “utterly horrified” to hear about the “catastrophic” wildfires in Hawaii.
The monarch and his wife sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the families of people who have died in the blazes on the island of Maui.
At least 93 people are confirmed to have died, with the figure expected to rise as rescue efforts continue to search for victims.
The letter from the King read: “My wife and I were utterly horrified to hear of the catastrophic wildfires currently burning in Maui, Hawaii.
“We can only begin to imagine the scale of the devastation engulfing the island, and the heartrending anguish of those whose livelihoods have been so disastrously affected.
“However inadequate it may be, we both wanted to send our deepest possible sympathy to the families of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and our prayers remain with all those whose loved ones are missing and whose homes have been destroyed.
“As the recovery effort continues, my special thoughts are with the extraordinarily brave emergency responders and Maui residents who are providing their support and assistance.”
The fires, which started on Tuesday (8 August), are being fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane.
They are the deadliest the US has seen since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and devastated the town of Paradise.
Hawaii Fires— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
On Sunday (13 August), Hawaii governor explained to MSNBC that the state’s drought conditions from climate change and difficulties with water management had combined with 60mph winds from Hurricane Dora which had just passed the island.
He warned: “That’s what a fire hurricane is going to look [like] in the era of global warming.”
Last week, Biden issued a major disaster declaration in response to the wildfires, which allowed for the state to use federal funding in recovery efforts.
The federal assistance includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs for individuals and business owners.
The funding is available to eligible local governments, as well as the state, and certain private nonprofit organisations for debris removal and emergency protective measures.
