The wildfires in Maui spread so quickly, many people did not have time to prepare, according to a harrowing account from a resident who witnessed the moments the fire swept through her town.
Claire Kent said her home in Lahaina was burned down in the fast-moving inferno.
“It happened so fast,” she said, describing how the day started like any other. Kent said she was off work because of high winds from Hurricane Dora. She works on a boat in the harbor and all the trips were canceled due to the weather.
“I heard the first explosions of the gas stations exploding, and then I saw the black smoke a couple streets away, and within half an hour, we were out the door,” Kent said. “I was at a friend’s house. I didn’t even go home, I didn’t have anything with me.”
She said within an hour, the fires had moved all the way to the end of the neighborhood. That’s when she realized they weren’t going to be able to go back.
“There’s flames on both sides of the road — like something out of a horror movie,” Kent said, describing the scene as cars worked to evacuate.
She said that due to the spotty cell service, evacuation warnings were delivered by “people running down the street.”
“There were guys riding around on bicycles just screaming at people to leave,” Kent said.
Some people, however, weren’t able to get out. She described the flames moving quickly, enveloping some areas in a matter of a half hour. Some people were jumping into the water to get away from the fire, she said.
“Everything is gone,” she said. “It’s the history of Lahaina that is just so devastating.”
