The Pokémon Company has donated £158,000 ($200,000) to the Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund in light of the 2024 Pokémon World Championship taking place in Honolulu.

At the time of writing, 99 people have lost their lives, with the death toll expected to rise, and 1,300 people are unaccounted for after wildfires ripped through the island of Maui, destroying the historic town of Lahaina.

Eyebrows were raised when the championships were confirmed to be taking place in Honolulu, Hawaii, next year.

The announcement was made alongside the news that the Japanese firm would make a significant contribution to the relief efforts.

In a social media statement, the company said: “Our hearts go out to all those who have been impacted by the devastating wildfires in Hawai'i.

To support relief efforts, The Pokémon Company International is making an immediate monetary donation of $200,000 to its partner at GlobalGiving through its Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund.

"To learn more about GlobalGiving's local relief efforts and join in supporting the people of Hawai'i, please visit GlobalGiving.org/Pokemon."

This year's event took place in Japan, at the Pacifico Yokohama convention center.

It is an invite-only esports event that sees players of the 'Pokémon Trading Card Game', 'Pokémon Go', and 'Pokémon Unite' invited based on their performance in qualifiers and other tournaments held throughout the season.

They compete for scholarship money, prizes, and the title of World Champion.