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Good Thursday afternoon. We’re on the ground in Maui as the death toll rises in the catastrophic fires, five Americans detained in Iran are on the verge of being freed in a prisoner swap, and the special counsel has proposed a date for Donald Trump’s election conspiracy trial.

Here is what’s in our Nightly Rundown.

Hawaii wildfires kill at least 36 as thousands flee flames

The explosive wildfires burning in Hawaii have now killed at least 36 people, forced thousands to evacuate, and destroyed hundreds of homes on Maui, officials said.

Satellite images and aerial video show the scope of the devastation in Lahaina, the popular tourist town on the west side of Maui, where the fast-moving flames burned entire blocks of homes and businesses.

Maui’s main airport has seen chaos as tourists race to fly out. Buses are being used to transport visitors and residents stranded north of Lahaina to the airport or shelters, the county said in a statement.

Firefighters are battling three active fires on Maui, that were partly fueled by powerful winds from Hurricane Dora churning hundreds of miles away. There are no containment numbers at this time.

Fires are also burning on Hawaii’s Big Island, but there have been no reports of injuries or significant damage, the mayor said. All mandatory evacuations for the Big Island have been lifted.

President Joe Biden signed a disaster declaration for Hawaii today, directing federal aid to support state and local recovery efforts. 

American prisoners in Iran moved ahead of planned prisoner swap

Iran has moved five detained Americans from prison into house arrest, the State Department has confirmed.

It’s the first step of a tentative deal between the U.S. and Iran to free the Americans as part of a prisoner swap, according to an attorney for one of the detainees.

The agreement would also allow the Iranian government to access roughly $6 billion in assets blocked by U.S. sanctions to buy food, medicine or other humanitarian aid, according to people familiar with the deal.

It’s unclear at this time how many Iranians detained by the U.S. may be included in the deal.

Special counsel seeks January 2 date for Trump’s elections trial

The special counsel’s office has asked a federal judge to set a Jan. 2, 2024 date for former President Donald Trump’s trial on charges that he illegally conspired to overturn his loss in the 2024 election.

Jack Smith’s office estimated the trial would last four to six weeks, a new court filing shows. Trump attorneys, who have signaled they want to slow the proceedings down, will likely challenge the proposed date.

In Florida today, Trump’s two co-defendants in his other federal case, involving his handling of classified documents at Mar-a-Lago, appeared at a hearing.

Walt Nauta, Trump’s personal valet, and Carlos De Oliveira, the property manager at Mar-a-Lago, were charged in a superseding indictment last month that accused them of conspiring with the former president to delete surveillance video at his Florida estate.

Nauta pleaded not guilty to the new charges. De Oliveira had his arraignment delayed again, because he did not secure a local Florida attorney in time.

Trump did not appear at today’s hearing. The judge accepted a not guilty plea he entered in a court filing last week.

Virgin Galactic successfully completes its first space tourism flight

Our Gadi Schwartz has an NBC News Exclusive interview tonight with the crew of Virgin Galactic’s first space tourism flight, after they successfully completed their mission today.

The flight, streamed live by Richard Branson’s company, carried three private passengers to the edge of space, about 53 miles above the Earth.

Keisha Schahaff and Anastasia Mayers are the first mother-daughter duo to journey to space. They won their seats, priced at $450,000, in a sweepstakes.

The other passenger, former British Olympian Jon Goodwin, was one of the first people to buy a ticket back in 2005.

What else we're watching:

We’re expecting to learn more today about the Utah man fatally shot in an FBI raid, who allegedly threatened to kill President Biden and other officials.

A presidential candidate in Ecuador was assassinated at a campaign rally, amid the escalating gang violence gripping the South American country.

U.S. inflation rose 3.2 percent year-over-year in July, breaking a 12-month streak of slowing consumer price increases, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.

Nine more Michigan Republicans accused in a fake elector scheme to keep former President Trump in power pleaded not guilty today in state court.

Two more men have been arrested on misdemeanor assault charges after that brawl on an Alabama riverside dock that was caught on camera.

Long-term use of some popular acid reflux drugs may be linked with a higher risk for dementia, a new study found.

Taylor Swift announced she’s releasing a re-recorded version of her smash-hit "1989" album, at her last U.S. show of the year on her “Eras” tour.

Watch us this evening at 6:30 p.m. ET / 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC, or check your local NBC station listing. After the broadcast, access Nightly News video on NBCNightlyNews.com or the NBC News app.

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