When Tee Dang observed the flames getting closer and closer to her family while she was in a rented vehicle with her husband and three children on Front Street in Lahaina, she became more concerned.
However, as the cars all around them started to catch fire, they made the split-second decision to collect their belongings, including their food, drink, and phones, and make a break for the ocean.
They had previously seen other people attempting to escape the swiftly approaching flames do the same thing, including an elderly lady who needed assistance getting into the water after trying to do it on her own.
On Thursday, a woman from Kansas gave an interview to BBC News in which she said, “We have to go to the ocean.” We were unable to pursue any other options since we were trapped.
They were traveling with their children, who were five, thirteen, and twenty years old, and at first, they remained rather near to shore. However, as darkness neared and the tide began to rise, the water began slamming her onto the rock wall of the harbor, causing her leg to get gravely injured.
They were compelled to wade into deeper water in order to seek refuge from the “flying debris” that was coming from the line of automobiles that were exploding on Front Street. There were “at least 50” cars in the line.
According to what she heard, they were in the water for close to four hours.
Even though it was a Tuesday afternoon, the smoke from the wildfires had turned the sky behind them completely dark.
The event was terrifying for the family, and they didn’t know whether they were going to make it out of there alive or not. One of Mrs. Dang’s children lost consciousness when they were playing in the water at one point.
In the end, a fireman came to their aid and led them to safety across the flaming streets.
She remembers the fireman telling the group, which she was leading and which consisted of perhaps 15 survivors, “I don’t even know if we’re going to make it at this point. Just carry out every instruction I give you. If I tell you to leap, do it. If I urge you to run, you really must run.”
The fire spread across the whole household.
After taking refuge at Maui Prep School, the family was forced to relocate a total of two more times; during one of these relocations, they were forced to leave a shelter because it was being threatened by flames.
After a series of fires broke out throughout the island of Maui in the Hawaiian Islands earlier this week, at least 53 individuals have been confirmed dead as of Thursday afternoon, bringing the total number of verified fatalities to a total of at least 53. There have been thousands of more people forced to relocate.
The ancient town of Lahaina, which is home to 12,000 people and is a major destination for visitors, was the area that was most severely affected.
The Governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, described this occurrence as “the largest natural catastrophe in the history of Hawaii’s state” when speaking at a news conference on Thursday.
The Governor has said that there would be more fatalities in the future. As authorities continue to assess the damage, they have said that they do not know how many individuals have gone missing at this moment.
None of the flames have been brought under complete control.
In addition, Governor Green said that the state is having trouble providing shelter for thousands of displaced individuals. He has sent a plea to residents of Hawaii living in other parts of the state, asking them to open their homes to people in need.
Bryce Baraoidan and his family were one of the many people who had to make a hasty escape and thus lost their house.
The famed banyan tree and the centuries-old church in Hawaii were both destroyed by the flames.
The destruction caused by the wildfires in Hawaii is seen in maps and pictures.
According to Mr. Baraoidan, they thought their home would still be standing when they returned, so they left practically all of their belongings behind. However, the house did not make it.
According to what he relayed to the BBC, “When we found out… my mother fell into tears.” “Not only the entirety of the street, but the neighborhood as a whole has vanished.”
It was necessary for Bryce Baraoidan and his family to leave the majority of their stuff behind.
The 26-year-old person added, “Leaving behind my five pet chameleons was the thing that made me feel the most regretful.” “They had a special place in my heart, and I really regret that we were unable to bring them with us when we moved.”
According to statements made by Steve Kemper’s sister, Susanne Kemper, to the BBC, the photographer suffered the loss of a gallery that he ran on Front Street in Lahaina.
Due to the fact that there is only one road leading into and out of the village, it took him three hours to get out of there and travel to the town of Haiku on Maui, which is where his son is now residing.
She said that “we barely escaped with our lives.” “By the time he arrived at my nephew’s house, he was completely worn out. It broke him to pieces.
Ms. Kemper, a traveler who has been to Maui and other Hawaiian islands, remarked that a significant number of the structures in the historic district of Lahaina are constructed of wood. This is a relic from the period when the town was an important whaling port. She believes that this contributed to the rapid spread of the fire across the town.
“It simply shot up like a flame,” she added. “I don’t know what happened.” They looked like matchsticks scattered over the ground.
Due to the fire, she and others have had a difficult time getting in contact with friends and relatives who live in the vicinity. The fire has left hundreds of people on the island without electricity.
A lady who gave an interview to the BBC said that she was unable to get in touch with her parents when they were on their honeymoon in Lahaina since they were staying at a hotel there. She sent their information to the Red Cross, but she hadn’t heard from them in the previous day’s interval.
Mrs. Dang and her family were able to make it to the airport in Maui, from where they intended to take a flight back to Kansas after evacuating their home and relocating from one shelter to another throughout their ordeal.
According to the government, around 14,000 tourists were evacuated from Maui on Wednesday, and another 14,500 are scheduled to be transferred on Thursday.
Since having to abandon their house, Mr. Baraoidan, who is now 26 years old, together with his parents, has been residing with relatives on the opposite side of Maui. The only things they were able to get away with were a few essential papers, a bag of clothing, and their two dogs.
He added that all of us are in a state of shock. However, he said, “My father informed me that everything in the home is replaceable and that we are fortunate to have each other.”