Multiple Maui residents had to be rescued after jumping into the ocean to escape wildfires sweeping the island, officials say

• Multiple Maui residents were rescued after jumping in the ocean to avoid harsh weather.
• A wildfire is spreading rapidly across the Big Island and Maui due to winds from a category 4 hurricane.

Multiple residents of Maui had to be rescued after jumping into the ocean to escape intense wildfires sweeping the Hawaiian island, officials said in a press release Tuesday night.

"The Coast Guard has been responding to impacted areas where residents are entering the ocean due to smoke and fire conditions," the update from Maui Mayor Richard Bissen at 9:45 p.m. local time Tuesday said.

The update added that "individuals were transported by the Coast Guard to safe areas."

Cell phone service, 911 service, and some landlines are down in parts of Maui because of the wildfires, lieutenant governor Sylvia Luke said on Wednesday morning.

Maui's mayor did not say how many people entered the ocean to escape the fires. CNN reported that 12 people had jumped into the ocean — and were saved — to avoid the horrific conditions brought about by the fire.

Two brush fires started blazing Tuesday on Hawaii's Big Island, one in the North Kohala District and the other in the South Kohala, according to a news release posted by officials Tuesday.

Strong winds from Category 4 Hurricane Dora are helping to spread the fires quickly across the Big Island and Maui, officials warned in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

"Maui Fire officials warn that erratic wind, challenging terrain, steep slopes and dropping humidity, the direction and the location of the fire conditions make it difficult to predict path and speed of a wildfire," officials said.

Fire Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said in the release: "The fire can be a mile or more from your house, but in a minute or two, it can be at your house."

A late Tuesday update from the National Hurricane Center said winds from Dora were clocking in at 130 mph, while the storm was about 740 miles southwest of Honolulu.