nbc news correspondent mora barrett is there. what do we know about what is causing and it what are local officials saying about evacuations, damage across the island? >> reporter: yeah, kate, the entire emergency response team as well as the national guard has been activated in order to try to combat these fires. there are three major ones on the island of maui right now. and what it appears to be is that they could have started as small brush fires. the island is very dry right now. they've been experiencing some extensive heat this summer. that hurricane you mentioned is what they think is really fanning the flames causing it to grow to an estimated 1,000 acres or more. it has been encroaching in residential spaces, tourist locations, so there has been active evacuation orders across the state. a red flag warning in play. because of that, that means that rescue efforts and firefighting efforts are limited because they can't fly the helicopters that can drop the water and firefighters on the ground are also facing limitations,