A Vancouver man who lives part time on the Hawaiian island of Maui has described how an enormous 㽶Ƶֱfirestorm㽶Ƶֱ engulfed the town of Lahaina, where at least 53 people were killed by the devastating blaze.
Brad Desaulniers, 61, has owned a home in Kihei, about 30 kilometres from Lahaina, for 20 years.
He said he watched smoke rising over the water and hills that separate the two towns.
㽶ƵֱIt was a firestorm,㽶Ƶֱ Desaulniers said in a phone interview from Kihei. 㽶ƵֱThere was an entire firestorm that was two miles wide and two miles deep that just raced across and destroyed everything in its path.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱThere have been more and more wildfires in Maui for the last 10 years, but nothing like this. Some of the people who㽶Ƶֱve been here through some of the volcano issues have said this dwarfs anything that㽶Ƶֱs ever come out of the volcano.㽶Ƶֱ
The wildfire, fuelled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane, ignited Tuesday and quickly raced through a number of communities on Maui㽶Ƶֱs west coast.
Hawaii㽶Ƶֱs Governor Josh Green said Thursday that the death toll was 53 and likely to rise. Officials with Maui County said dozens more were injured and more than 270 structures were damaged or destroyed.
Global Affairs Canada has issued an advisory telling Canadians to avoid non-essential travel to Maui.
The advisory also warned that Canadians already on the island should consider if they really need to be there, and if not to 㽶Ƶֱthink about leaving.㽶Ƶֱ
The death toll makes the wildfire the deadliest in the United States since 2018 when at least 85 people were killed in the 2018 Camp Fire in California.
Desaulniers said his home was far from the fires and not damaged, but the entire northwest of Maui has been 㽶Ƶֱshut down㽶Ƶֱ with no road access, no electricity and limited cellphone service.
㽶ƵֱYou can feel on the island right now, everywhere you go, a sense of shock and sadness,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱThe people who㽶Ƶֱve died 㽶Ƶֱ the homes that were lost, the businesses that were lost 㽶Ƶֱ and the historical value of Lahaina is irreplaceable.㽶Ƶֱ
In a written statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Canadians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact Global Affairs㽶Ƶֱ emergency response centre via phone, text or online platforms such as WhatsApp.
㽶ƵֱCanadians are strongly advised to exercise caution, to monitor local news and weather reports and to follow the instructions of local authorities, including evacuation orders,㽶Ƶֱ Joly said in the statement.
A flyover conducted over Lahaina Thursday showed the normally vibrant community reduced to grey and black, with rubble, building foundations and charred vehicles strewn about the town.
The wildfire has disrupted transport in and out of the Hawaiian island, with both Air Canada and WestJet saying they have implemented flexible rebooking or cancellation policies to help affected travellers.
WestJet said it had cancelled three direct flights from Vancouver to Maui, and a 㽶Ƶֱrecovery flight㽶Ƶֱ meant to bring back stranded passengers was scheduled for Friday, in addition to two more flights routed through Honolulu this week to help travellers evacuate.
Air Canada said it was planning to send a second empty plane to the island Thursday evening after the first emergency ferry flight returned to Vancouver on Thursday morning.
A statement from the carrier said a scheduled flight from Maui to Vancouver 㽶Ƶֱ Air Canada㽶Ƶֱs only daily route from the island 㽶Ƶֱ was cancelled on Tuesday, necessitating the ferry flights.
The travel situation to Maui was 㽶Ƶֱdynamic and evolving㽶Ƶֱ the airline said.
The Hawaii Tourism Authority has asked visitors on non-essential travel to leave Maui, and incoming non-essential travel to the island is 㽶Ƶֱstrongly discouraged.㽶Ƶֱ
Thomas Panos, owner of Vancouver-based Omega Travel, said Maui is a major destination for Canadian family travel during the fall, winter and spring seasons, and the potential loss of the island as a market for the foreseeable future could be a 㽶Ƶֱhuge hit㽶Ƶֱ for the tourism industry serving that demographic.
Panos, who visited Maui in March, said it was difficult seeing the devastation in Lahaina, a historic town that was previously the capital of the kingdom of Hawaii for parts of the 1800s and a centre of activity for western portions of the island.
㽶ƵֱI㽶Ƶֱm shell-shocked and heartbroken for Hawaiians,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱWe had dinner at one of the restaurants that was completely destroyed by the fires in Lahaina 㽶Ƶֱ the Safeway that we shopped in is gone. The main street is completely gone.
㽶ƵֱI just don㽶Ƶֱt know how they㽶Ƶֱre going to pick up because that was the financial and spiritual heart of the western part of the island.㽶Ƶֱ
Panos said he has few answers for clients who have booked travel to Maui in the fall and winter.
㽶ƵֱIt㽶Ƶֱs going to be just telling our clients, basically, to just wait,㽶Ƶֱ he said. 㽶ƵֱOf course, cancel if you have any plans over the next couple of months. But just wait and see what happens.㽶Ƶֱ
Desaulniers said he was confident the community would rebuild, but 㽶Ƶֱthe physical loss will be really hard to get over.㽶Ƶֱ
㽶ƵֱIf people are listening, find a way to contribute if you can 㽶Ƶֱ because there㽶Ƶֱs going to be an awful lot of people hurting here for a while,㽶Ƶֱ he said.
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