As Hawaii residents mourn those killed in ferocious Maui wildfires, one of its most famous residents, Fleetwood Mac drummer Mick Fleetwood, spoke about the level of devastation he witnessed.

Fleetwood was in Los Angeles visiting family when the fires hit.

But he chartered a plane to return to the island with much-needed supplies like canned food and nappies.

He found his home untouched by the fires, but the restaurant he has owned in the town Lahaina for 11 years was totally destroyed.

Many of his 120 employees have also lost everything.

“The whole town of Lahaina is no more,” Fleetwood told Sky News.

With the toll at 96, it is already the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

Hawaii officials warned that the full human and environmental toll was not yet known and the recovery was only just beginning.

The blaze that swept into centuries-old Lahaina on Tuesday destroyed nearly every building in the town of 13,000.

Many locals are now worried the charred landscape will be taken over by developers, and that the town will never be the same.

“The thought of becoming some form of playground with no reference to the dignity of that town would be, to me, would be abhorrent,” Fleetwood said.

But for now, a challenging recovery and clean-up operation is underway.

Authorities have warned that toxic byproducts may remain as the fires retreat, including in drinking water, after the flames spewed poisonous fumes.

And many people simply have no home to return to, so authorities plan to house them in hotels and vacation rentals.