King and Queen ‘utterly horrified’ by Hawaii wildfires, letter to Joe Biden says
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The King has written a letter to US President Joe Biden saying he and the Queen were “utterly horrified” to hear about the “catastrophic” wildfires in Hawaii.
Charles and Camilla sent their “deepest possible sympathy” to the families of people who have died in the blazes on the island of Maui.
At least 80 people are confirmed to have died.
The letter from the King read: “My wife and I were utterly horrified to hear of the catastrophic wildfires currently burning in Maui, Hawaii.
“We can only begin to imagine the scale of the devastation engulfing the island, and the heartrending anguish of those whose livelihoods have been so disastrously affected.
“However inadequate it may be, we both wanted to send our deepest possible sympathy to the families of those who have so tragically lost their lives, and our prayers remain with all those whose loved ones are missing and whose homes have been destroyed.
“As the recovery effort continues, my special thoughts are with the extraordinarily brave emergency responders and Maui residents who are providing their support and assistance.”
The fires, which started on Tuesday, are being fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane.
They are the deadliest the US has seen since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and devastated the town of Paradise.
