MICK FLEETWOOD's Restaurant Destroyed In Maui Fire

Mick Fleetwood's restaurant, Fleetwood's On Front St., located in the historic town of Lahaina on Hawaii's island of Maui, has been destroyed in raging wildfires fanned by hurricane winds.

In a post to his social media, the FLEETWOOD MAC drummer and co-founder wrote: "Maui and the Lahaina community have been my home for several decades. This is a devastating moment for Maui, and many are suffering unimaginable loss. Fleetwood's On Front Street has been lost and while we are heartbroken, our main priority is the safety of our dear staff and team members. On behalf of myself and my family, I share my heartfelt thoughts and prayers for the people of Maui. We are committed to supporting the community and those affected by this disaster in the days and months and years to come."

The restaurant also shared a statement, writing: "As most of you know Maui has been dealing with extreme fires created by the residual winds of Hurricane Dora. Lahaina Town has taken the brunt of it. ... Mahalo for your continued thoughts and prayers for our community and our first responders."

Opened in 2012 on Front Street, a popular tourist destination, Fleetwood's On Front St. overlooked the West Maui section of the Pacific Ocean.

Brian Schatz, a U.S. senator from the state, said on social media that Lahaina, which dates to the 1700s, is "almost totally burnt to the ground".

At least 36 people were killed in the fires, Maui County said in a statement Wednesday night.

On Front Street, business owner Alan Dickar described seeing buildings on both sides of the street "engulfed" in flames, in comments to CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV.

Maui County mayor Richard Bissen Jr. said in a news conference that many homes and business structures were completely destroyed.

It is not presently clear what started the blaze.

"We don't know what actually ignited the fires, but we were made aware in advance by the National Weather Service that we were in a red flag situation — so that's dry conditions for a long time, so the fuel, the trees and everything, was dry," Maj. Gen. Kenneth Hara, commander general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, said at Wednesday's briefing. That, along with low humidity and high winds, "set the conditions for the wildfires," he said.

According to the Road Show Company, opening a place like Fleetwood's On Front St. had been a lifelong dream of Mick's since he opened up Club Keller — his pretend/fantasy venue — in his family's barn in Gloucestershire, England at the age of 12.

Fleetwood's On Front St. had won numerous awards in the first couple of years after opening its doors, including the restaurant association's coveted Best New Restaurant, numerous food awards and the Maui County Fair's best vegetarian and best overall chili in the 2013 cook-off, beating all entries in all categories.