Hawaii: State of emergency decreed due to wildfires

Hawaii Lieutenant Governor, Sylvia Luke, declared a state of emergency on behalf of Governor Josh Green due to wildfires that are spreading due to hurricane force winds reaching 60 mph in some areas of the state.

A measure that will last until August 15, "unless terminated or replaced by a separate proclamation," the Democratic leader said.

In addition to proclaiming a state of emergency, Luke activated the Hawaii National Guard to assist firefighters and other authorities trying to suppress the fires.

Forests in Maui and Hawaii counties are the hardest hit by the flames so far. Dozens of families residing in these counties had to be evacuated and around 15,000 residents were without power as of 5:15 AM local time, according to the PowerOutage.us website.