Maui wildfires updates: President Biden, first lady tour damage

One region particularly ravaged by the wildfires is the historic town of Lahaina, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1962.

It was the capital of the Kingdom of Hawaii from 1820 to 1845 before Honolulu became the capital and before the kingdom was overthrown and Hawaii was annexed by the United States, according to the Hawai'i Tourism Authority.

This includes the historic Waiola Church, the first Christian church on Maui established in 1823, which can be seen in photos engulfed in the blaze.

Buried here are several Hawaiian monarchs, including "Queen Keopuolani, the highest royalty by virtue of bloodlines in all Hawaii," the last king of Kauai King Kaumuali'i, High Chief Ulumaheihei Hoapili and more.

A more than 60-foot-tall, 150-year-old Indian banyan tree that become a beloved landmark in the city of Lahaina was also damaged in the blaze, pictures show.

The historic tree covers one-quarter of a mile and shades nearly two-thirds of an acre of land.

Other historic homes, museums, and cultural centers were caught in the blaze. Learn more here.

-ABC News' Kiara Alfonseca

The death toll due to the Maui fires has increased to 67, officials said.

Twelve additional fatalities have been confirmed as of 1 p.m. local time Friday, officials said, bringing the death toll to 67.

That officially makes this the largest death toll from a natural disaster since Hawaii's statehood.

Previously, the deadliest natural disaster in the state occurred in 1960, when a tsunami killed 61 people.

The Lahaina fire is not yet contained, officials said.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has declared a public health emergency for Hawaii due to the wildfires.

The declaration "gives the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) health care providers and suppliers greater flexibility in meeting emergency health needs of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries," the agency said.

"We will do all we can to assist Hawaii officials with responding to the health impacts of the wildfires,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. "We are working closely with state and local health authorities, as well as our partners across the federal government, and stand ready to provide additional public health and medical support."

Dr. Art Chasen, trauma medical director at Maui Memorial Medical Center, described to ABC News what it's been like treating patients who have been injured by the devastating wildfires.

He said Tuesday night was the first night he experienced a mass casualty event in the 12 years since he has worked at the hospital. Staff saw about 40 patients throughout the night, eight with life-threatening severe burns and the rest with minor burns, smoke inhalation injuries and other fire-related injuries.

Chasen described one patient, a fireman, who got seriously injured while trying to save people from a burning structure.

"He just kept going back until he ran out of oxygen," Chasen said. "He ended up somehow taking off his mask and collapsing in the fire. His fellow firefighters went in and rescued him. He had severe burns on his legs at the scene."

"He coded, his heart hard stopped and so he received CPR for three to five minutes...and they brought him back and he was in our ICU overnight."

The fireman was transferred to Queen's Medical Center in Oahu. In total, nine patients were transferred to Queen's and Straub Medical Center, also in Oahu.

Maui Memorial has seen about 60 patients total as of Friday morning, and Chasen expects a second wave of injured patients now that roads are reopening, but insisted that the hospital is not overwhelmed or struggling to accommodate patients.

"We were not overwhelmed. We've never turned anybody away," he said. "We have beds available. We have ICU space available. We've been seeing regular trauma patients throughout the time, like motorcycle accidents and things like that. So our hospital surged to meet the demand."

-ABC News' Mary Kekatos