'So tragic': Former Calgary woman caught in midst of Maui wildfires

A former Calgary woman and her husband living on Maui say the devastating wildfires have been a "nightmare" for residents and firefighters alike.

Katie O'Connor, who moved to Hawaii about two years ago, lives in Kihei on the southwest shore of Maui. She first heard about fires in the hills in Kula on Tuesday but became more concerned when news broke of fires in Lahaina.

"Lahaina's a little bit more isolated, so when that happened, highways start closing and access is limited," she said.

As the day progressed, she and her husband heard more about the fires and the winds fuelling them.

"That, mixed with the really dry conditions (were) creating a real nightmare opportunity for these fires, something that firefighters just couldn't keep up with."

When evening fell, O'Connor learned about the destruction in Lahaina when flames engulfed the community's main street.

"We just kept hearing about different restaurants and businesses that were up in flames and were gone."

She says it was just hours later, when she was driving home, that she could see the fires moving closer.

"You could just see (an) orange glow from every direction, which was just horrible."

The couple packed up their belongings and their dogs and fled the home they'd taken possession only two weeks earlier.

"That was really difficult to think we might lose it," she said.

"At about 11 o'clock we got a notification to our phone that we had to evacuate; the fire was about a mile from our house."

O'Connor says she and her husband spent the night at his business on the north shore of Maui and were able to return home later the next day.

However, that wasn't the end of the fires, she says.

"Throughout the day (Wednesday) the winds picked up again, the fire was spreading. It was just across the highway – you could see from our window."

O'Connor says firefighting efforts had increased by then, with helicopters dropping water on the blaze, working to control it as winds died down.

"We did load up our car again last night in case we had to leave, but we are grateful we are still here this morning."

WESTJET CANCELS SOME FLIGHTS

This photo provided by County of Maui shows fire and smoke filling the sky from wildfires on the intersection at Hokiokio Place and Lahaina Bypass in Maui, Hawaii on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Wildfires in Hawaii fanned by strong winds burned multiple structures in areas including historic Lahaina town, forcing evacuations and closing schools in several communities Wednesday, and rescuers pulled a dozen people escaping smoke and flames from the ocean. (Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP)WestJet has cancelled three Thursday and Friday flights from Vancouver, B.C. to Kahului, Maui in response to the wildfires.

The company says it is working to notify all impacted guests.

Impacted flights include:

• WS1852, scheduled to operate Aug. 10;
• WS4285, scheduled to operate Aug. 11; and
• WS1852, scheduled to operate Aug. 11.

To assist those guests evacuating the island on Thursday and Friday, WestJet will operate service between Vancouver and Maui with a technical stop performed in Honolulu for a required crew change.

Once the crew change is completed, guests will be flown back to Vancouver via Honolulu, as follows:

• WS1853 scheduled to operate Aug. 10; and
• WS1853 scheduled to operate Aug. 11.

Additionally, a recovery flight has been scheduled for Friday, departing from Kahlului and travelling to Vancouver: WS4286.

Travellers heading to Maui are encouraged to check the status of their flights before heading to the airport.

WestJet has also issued a travel advisory, saying flexible change/cancel guidelines have been announced for all guests travelling to Kahului between Aug. 9 and 17.

"We continue to monitor the situation closely and will make operational changes in the name of safety as necessary," said WestJet in a statement.

"All guests currently in the region are advised to follow all response instructions provided by local authorities."

Renee Tsang of Serafina Travel says travellers considering changes to their plans as a result of the fires should consider rebooking rather than cancelling, as it will ultimately help Maui and its residents rebuild.

"Tourism is a huge commodity. This is this is what Hawaii is known for. They want people to visit their island, they want people to take in the 'aloha' spirit and love their culture like they do," said Tsang.

"When the time is right, I'm sure they will be welcoming everybody with open arms again, and when they do, (they'll) need that support.

"The tourism dollars that we can give them will help rebuild the island."

36 DEAD, HUNDREDS OF HOMES DESTROYED

An extremely dry summer, along with winds from Hurricane Dora fuelled the fire on the island this week, officials say.

It burned through tinder-dry growth and left behind rubble and burned-out cars, leaving people with minutes to act while others. Some even fled into the ocean to escape.

At least 36 people have died, Maui County said in a news release late Wednesday.

More than 270 structures have been damaged or destroyed and dozens of people have been injured, according to an early estimate.

Officials warned that the Maui death toll could rise.

"These were large and fast-moving fires, and it's only recently that we've started to get our arms around them and contain them. So, we're hoping for the best, but we're prepared for the worst," Adam Weintraub, a spokesman for the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, said Thursday on ABC's "Good Morning America."

'LIKE A DREAM'

O'Connor says the whole situation has been a shock to her and many people that she knows.

"It feels like a dream. There's no way that Lahaina's burnt to the ground," she said.

"There's history there. it's so tragic."

However, she's now seeing the community come together to help those affected by the fires.

"It's incredible, the donations that have started," O'Connor said. "Going out, as of yesterday, anybody not affected is gathering what they can, driving it where they can, volunteering at all the pop-up shelters throughout the island."

Tourists are being told to leave the island to free up critical hotel space for survivors, she said.

"Everybody knows someone that's missing or affected directly. It definitely changes the feeling from a big city."

The fire is the deadliest fire since the 2018 Camp Fire in California, which killed at least 85 people and virtually razed the town of Paradise.

(With files from the Associated Press)