Dan Mitchinson: US Correspondent on the fatal Maui wildfires - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

The fatal wildfires in Hawaii's Maui caught thousands of people off guard.

At least 53 people are dead and around 11,000 are without power, with the rebuild expected to cost billions.

US Correspondent Dan Mitchinson told Heather du-Plessis Allan that a lot of bodies are washing up out of the water.

He says the fire was so strong that it jumped the streets and made its way onto boats and the pier, so people were forced to swim for their lives.

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