An Oakland County family flew out of Maui Thursday night after being trapped by wildfire.
The resorts in Maui lost power, there was no cell service, and getting off the island was difficult for the family.
Mindy Fernandes and her husband Greg honeymooned on Maui 24 years ago.
The Fernandes family wanted to return with their two children this year for a special vacation, but then high wind advisories started coming.
The fire started Tuesday (Aug. 8), fueled by a dry summer and strong winds from a passing hurricane.
Over 270 structures have been damaged or destroyed, and dozens of people have been injured, including some critically.
---> Maui surveys the burned wreckage caused by the deadliest US wildfire in years
“We went to a luau, and the winds were bad,” said Mindy Fernandes. “We were just trying to keep our food on the table.”
Never dreaming they would trigger terrible fires that would engulf the island, their resort lost power which was nothing compared to seeing fires coming at them from all sides.
“We went up to the balcony and just stared to look down and see fire on both sides,” Mindy said. “It was just a huge, huge fire.”
When the family left Thursday morning, all of Lahaina was a smoldering ruin, and getting to the airport was no sure thing.
“When they let us through that barricade, I was so relieved I almost cried,” Mindy said. “I’ve never been so happy to get off an island in my life.”