Hawaii Wildfire: Oprah Winfrey Volunteers at Emergency Shelter by Helping Evacuees With Supplies (Watch Video)
The former talk show host and media mogul is one of Maui’s biggest private landholders, owning more than a thousand acres in Kula and Hana. It’s currently unclear if any of her land was damaged from the wildfires.
Veteran talk show host Oprah Winfrey has come forward to show support for the island of Maui amid the current wave of deadly wildfires. She was recently spotted at shelters on Maui visiting with people displaced by the wildfires and bringing much-needed supplies, CNN reported. Local non-profit group Kāko’o Haleakalā posted a video on Instagram in which Winfrey is seen carrying pillows through crowds of people on cots and folding chairs. Hawaii Wildfire Video: People Jump in Ocean to After Forest Fires in Maui, Viral Clip Surfaces.
Winfrey owns property on the island, and her spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that she has been volunteering at emergency shelters. “Oprah has been to several local shelters to ask first-hand what was most needed. She then went to Walmart and Costco to shop for the items and brought them back. It is heartbreaking devastation," Oprah’s spokesperson said. It’s not the first time Winfrey has helped out in times of wildfires. In 2019, she opened a private road on her property in Maui to help people quickly escape a brush fire that broke out. The death toll from the devastating wildfires in Hawaii has climbed to 67. Wildfire in Hawaii: Fires Fanned by Strong Winds Towards Populated Areas Force Evacuations, Cause Power Outages in West Maui (Watch Video).
Oprah Winfrey Helps Residents:
The government in the statement said, "The Lahaina fire is not yet contained." Earlier, Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that the death toll from the wildfires on the island of Maui in Hawaii had reached 59. Speaking to CNN, Green said that all those deaths occurred in the open and not in buildings, "as people were trying to escape the fire." He said that there will be more fatalities.
Hollywood actor Jason Momoa, who is of Hawaiian descent, also reacted to the tragedy. “We are devastated and heartbroken for our friends and ‘ohana on Maui who have been impacted by the recent wildfires,” the caption reads on one of Momoa’s posts, which reposted information from the community organization Aina Momona.