SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) — At least six fires have scorched more than 1,800-acres across Maui and the Big Island.
Multiple structures have been destroyed, thousands were ordered to shelter in place, and officials there are discouraging all non-essential travel to Maui. Several major airlines are working to help passengers rebook trips due to those wildfires, including travelers right here in the Bay Area.
Hawaiian Airlines passengers at Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC) said they’re monitoring the fire’s movement.
San Jose resident Shannon Drozen said her husband and kids are in Maui now, visiting her in-laws. She had plans to land there on Wednesday.
“I want to see them,” Drozen told ABC7 News. “So, just trying to figure out what the best thing to do is. If I fly into Oahu and take a shuttle over, or wait to hear from them. But there’s no cell service either. So I haven’t been able to get in touch with them.”
MORE: Hawaii wildfires: Aerial video shows widespread devastation from wildfire in Lahaina
She spoke with them Tuesday night. Since then, conditions have only grown worse, impacting nearly all communication. Hawaii’s acting Governor Sylvia Luke told reporters, the only way is through satelite service or speaking directly to individuals.
“The fact that we have wildfire… multiple areas… as a result of, indirectly from a hurricane is unprecedented,” Luke said. “It’s something that way residents in the state have not experienced.”
Others who planned to fly out of SJC expressed frustration. Jessica Hopkins and her husband had direct flights to Maui for a nine-day trip. They’ve since been diverted.
MORE: Wildfire burning one of Hawaii’s most popular tourist areas as people flee: Maui officials
Redding residents, both admit they may be a bit desensitized to the news of the fire’s devastation.
“We live in Redding. So we had the Carr Fire a few years ago,” Hopkins explained. “We literally could see the flames from our driveway and so we know all about how that works, and evacuations and stuff like that. And from what I can tell this morning, it looks pretty bad, but not nearly as bad as what we’re used to.”
The National Weather Service said it could get worse. Strong winds, low relative humidity and warm temperatures could potentially contribute to this extreme fire behavior.
“Nothing from the airline, nothing from anywhere – travel agencies, nothing about what was going on in Maui. We had no idea until we literally got here to check in our bags to get on the flight,” Hopkins shared about the moment she was informed of the fire.
However, for others with personal ties to the islands, there is concern. Drozen said her in-laws live on Maui, in an area already under evacuation.
“The weather changes there so quickly that we’ve experienced other things in the past where there’s a huge emergency, and then there’s nothing,” she explained. “So, I think that’s what they were going off of. But it seems like that’s not the case.”
Because of the fire, Hawaii officials have reported hundreds of homes are gone, along with historic businesses on Front Street, even the famous Banyan Tree.
Back in the Bay Area, many who were originally on direct flights to Maui say they were instead diverted to Honolulu.
Both Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines issued advisories for travelers impacted by the Maui wildfires.
You can find a link to Hawaiian Airlines’ travel advisory here.
You can find a link to Alaska Airlines’ travel advisory here.
If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live
