Thousands of people have been left homeless by the wildfire that raced through a Hawaiian town, the state's governor said Thursday.

"We are going to need to house thousands of people," Josh Green told reporters. "That will mean reaching out to all of our hotels and those in the community, to ask people to rent those extra rooms."

-Hawaii wildfire death toll hits 53: officials-

The number of people known to have been killed in the fast-moving fire rose to 53 Thursday, local officials said.

"As firefighting efforts continue, 17 additional fatalities have been confirmed today amid the active Lahaina fire," Maui County announced. "This brings the death toll to 53 people."