The death toll due to the Hawaii wildfires has touched 67, making it one of the deadliest natural disasters in the history of the region.

Hundreds of people are still missing.

Authorities feel the death toll may rise in the upcoming days.

It comes as some Lahaina residents are being allowed to briefly return home on Friday to take stock of the damage to their fire-ravaged town, reports BBC.

They returned to the region amid warnings that they would be greeted by "destruction like they've not ever seen in their lives".

For the first time, state officials on Friday reopened Lahaina to people with proof of residency since the region was swept by fire.

People who had been evacuated with only the clothes on their backs told the BBC they were concerned it may be hard to prove their residency.

Search crews are still searching for wildfire victims in West Maui.

The region is still without power and water.

Gabe Lucy, who owns a tour operator on Maui, told the BBC that he was hearing of horrific scenes.

"People were jumping in the water and I think for a lot of them the fire wrapped around so quick that the only way to escape was go down to the water's edge," said Lucy, whose captains were called in to help rescue people.

One family told the BBC they had stayed in Lahaina through the worst of the fire, only leaving on Thursday to buy much-needed supplies.

Their house was still standing, but they have been "sitting in the dark".

The family told the BBC they believed the number of confirmed dead, though already high, would rise further.

"On our street alone it's 50 people," one family member told BBC.