Oprah Winfrey Hands Out Supplies in Maui, Where She Owns Property, After Deadly Wildfires

Oprah Winfrey is putting her boots on the ground after wildfires ripped through Maui, Hawaii, claiming the lives of at least 53 people.

The media mogul was seen on site at an evacuation shelter providing survivors with pillows.

"It's a little overwhelming, you know," she told the BBC. "But I'm really so pleased to have so many people supporting. People are just bringing what they can and doing what they can."

She explained, "I came earlier just to see what people needed, and then went shopping. Because often, you make donations of clothes and it's not really what people need. So I actually went to Walmart and Costco and got pillows, shampoo, diapers, sheets, pillowcases."

Winfrey purchased an 870-acre estate for $6.6 million in Kula, Maui, this March, per a sales deed obtained by local news outlet KITV4. She had already owned properties that spanned across 100 acres in Kula. Per local news outlet KITV4, she has been a part-time resident of Maui for more than 15 years.

The fire ignited Tuesday afternoon and raged through the night, with winds fueling the deadly fire. By Wednesday afternoon, there had been six reported deaths, and that number increased to 36 during the latest reports Thursday morning in Hawaii.

Later that day, Maui County shared a grim update on the aftermath and said the death toll had reached 53 people. At least 1,000 people are currently missing.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green confirmed in an interview on CNN, prior to meeting with the media for a formal update, that nearly 1,700 structures had been destroyed by the blazes, which included a system of three separate fires — Lahaina, Pulehu and Upcountry Maui — on the western side of the island. The heaviest damage was reported in Lahaina town.