After a fire at their townhouse complex, a B.C. family flew to Maui — where wildfires are raging

Travel expert Claire Newell said if anyone has loved ones on Maui right now they should call the airlines and book them on flights out as soon as possible.

A B.C. woman currently in Maui with her family said it has been a crazy 24 hours since landing on the island.

At least six people have died as fires have raged out of control on the Hawaiian island popular with tourists. The mayor confirmed Wednesday that homes and businesses have burned down and some communication services, including 911, have been knocked out.

Wildfires whipped up by heavy winds from hurricane Dora have raced through parts of Hawaii. Much of the historic Lāhainā is believed to be destroyed.

Tracy Robinson and her family landed at about 3:30 p.m. local time Tuesday.

“The flight was windy and bumpy, but they didn’t mention anything about wildfires or road closures or anything,” she said.

They landed, got their rental car and decided to start heading to Kaanapali.

“And then as soon as we got on the highway, the roads were blocked,” she said. “They were turning us around. Fires were on both sides of the highway. We got turned around. We didn’t know where to go. So then we decided to try going the other way around the island.”

After driving for another hour and a half, Robinson said they were turned around again. They didn’t know where to go so she said they just headed back toward the airport.