The community of Lahaina after wildfires driven by high winds burned across most of the town several days ago, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii, US. (Image: Reuters)
A large section of Hawaii wildfire survivors jumped to the ocean and kept themselves afloat until help arrived.
The historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina is now in charred ruins as the death toll rose to 55. The US government has said that it is one of the deadliest disasters in Hawaii’s history.
The fires, also known as brushfires, were fueled by high winds from a nearby hurricane and in a span of two days engulfed the entire west coast of Maui island.
Survivors speaking to news outlets are sharing stories of loss and survival as they were left with no option but to take refuge in the ocean to save themselves from getting charred in the fires.
A Kansas mother who was on vacation told news agency BBC that she was telling others to get into the ocean. She said that it was not just her but tourists and residents grabbed water, food and their phones and ran for the waves in order to stop themselves from getting charred.
Tourists and locals could not even seek refuge in the vehicles around them because the flames engulfed those in no time and spread the fire. “We have to get to the ocean. There was nothing else because we were cornered in,” the resident from Kansas was quoted saying by news agency BBC.
A separate report by the BBC said that none of the fires are 100% contained.
The report also highlighted why the residents and tourists were trapped in the fire. It said that there is only one road that leads in and out of the town.
The woman with her children were in the water for nearly four hours as the sky above them turned pitch black due to the smoke.
Lahaina, remains the hardest hit from the brushfires that ravaged Maui. It is home to 12,000 residents.
Hawaii Governor Josh Green said that more loss of life is expected.
“It really looks like somebody came along and just bombed the whole town. It’s completely devastating. It was really hard to seeYou feel so bad for people. They lost their homes, their lives, their livelihoods,” a Canadian tourist was quoted as saying by AFP.
The BBC report, citing a resident of Hawaii, highlighted that since Lahaina once served as a major whaling port most buildings are made of wood which facilitated the spread of the fire.
“They were like matchsticks on the ground,” Susanne Kemper was quoted as saying by the BBC.
At least 14,000 tourists were moved from Maui, and close to 15,000 tourists will be moved on Thursday (local time) and Friday.
