SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A raging wildfire swept through the Hawaiian island of Maui and has now killed at least 89 people, authorities said Saturday, making it the deadliest U.S. wildfire of the past century.
Residents returning to the island are finding their homes destroyed while tourists are asked not to come to the island for now and those already vacationing are scrambling to get back home.
A plane landed in Sacramento from Hawaii with plenty of people thankful to be away from the blaze.
“It was very devastating, very sad and we’re just happy to be on the ground in Sacramento,” said Larry Anderson, who was vacationing from Lodi. “We had no communication, no cell phones. No power, which was very difficult. Everything was completely dark.”
He says he could see the smoke from the fires from his vacation villa in Kaanapali and authorities asked him to get off the island.
“Because they had no accommodation, to service you with power, or cellphones. And they were just scared they were going to run out of water,” he said.
Mari Fe Bongcaron was happy to be returning home to Stockton.
“Just thinking about the people that are there. You just have to pray,” she said. “Life is precious. So it’s really important to spend time with family, cause you never know. Just going on vacation like this, a tragedy can happen.”
