Death toll in Hawaii wildfire reaches 67

The ferocious firestorm in Hawaii – ripped through Maui county- has cost at least 67 lives and the count would increase as search for victims is ongoing, US media say.

The fires which began after midnight Tuesday were compounded by extreme winds.

At least four major fires with many small fires in between devastated parts of Maui, claimed dozens of lives and razed a historic town and it could take years or longer to repair the damage, according to NPR.

More than 1000 people are missing and hundreds of homes were destroyed while the rescue and recovery efforts have been hampered by the lack of power, phone and internet service.

It could take weeks to months to fix the power outage in some of the affected places it said quoting Hawaii Governor Josh Green.

Meanwhile, Gov. Green has ordered a review of the fire response system including why sirens reportedly failed to warn residents there, said the Washington Post.

The fires are not yet 100 percent contained and the officials are urging people to cancel their trip to Maui.

The work on extinguishing the fires, restoring water and conducting search-and-rescue efforts are underway, said Maui county.