Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady tour damage

Devastating wildfires on Maui have left its historic town of Lahaina looking like "a war zone," according to Maui County Mayor Richard Bissen.

He recently toured the damage with other local and state officials for the first time.

"The closest thing I can compare it to is perhaps a war zone or maybe a bomb went off," Bissen told ABC News' Eva Pilgrim in an interview Friday on "Good Morning America."

"It was cars in the street, doors open, you know, melted to the ground," he added. "Most structures no longer exist and for blocks and blocks of this."

The mayor, who grew up on Maui, said he's familiar with Lahaina. His mother worked at one of the local restaurants for 17 years.

"It doesn't resemble anything that it looked like when I was growing up," he said.

As the death toll from the wildfires continues to climb, authorities are bringing in cadaver dogs to search for more victims, according to the mayor.

"So we will be increasing our area that we can search," Bissen said.

Nevertheless, the mayor remained hopeful that Maui "will rebuild." President Joe Biden has signed an emergency declaration for the Hawaiian island, allowing access to federal assets and funds, which Bissen said they "intend" to use. There's also been "an outpouring of so much donations and offers of help," according to the mayor.

"There is so much support," he said. "Right now, our focus is on fighting the fires, saving lives where we can or preventing further harm, of course property as well. We'll get to the investigative stage when that's appropriate."

While Lahaina and the west side of Maui has been shut down amid the active wildfires, Bissen noted that the rest of the island remains open.

At least 55 people have died as wildfires tear through the Hawaiian island of Maui, officials said.

Two more fatalities were confirmed on Thursday night amid the active Lahaina fire, bringing the death toll to 55, according to a press release from Maui County.

A total of 19 deaths were confirmed on Thursday and 36 were confirmed on Wednesday, according to Maui County.

Officials have repeatedly said that they expect the death toll to rise.

The wildfires that have devastated Maui are "likely the largest natural disaster in Hawaii’s state history,” Gov. Josh Green said during a press briefing Thursday evening.

Green went on to call the wildfires “catastrophic” and said the state is seeking 2,000 hotel rooms to help the displaced people of Maui.

The governor said “we will continue” seeing loss of life. At least 53 people have died from the wildfires, officials said earlier in the day.

Green also called on residents to help, saying: “If you have additional space in your home, if you have the capacity to take someone in from West Maui, please do.”

After surveying the damage earlier in the day, Green estimated it will take billions of dollars and many years to rebuild Lahaina, and he estimates well over 1,000 buildings were destroyed.

Officials still don’t know exactly how many people are missing, according to Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Thursday it has rescued 57 people amid its response to the Lahaina wildfires in Maui.

Seventeen people were saved from the water, while another 40 were found ashore by Coast Guard Station Maui boat crews, it said.

"The Coast Guard has no reports of missing persons in the water, however Coast Guard aircrews and surface assets continue search and rescue operations," the agency said.