Houston family returns home from Maui after fleeing deadly wildfire
Houston area family escapes Maui fire danger
The death toll in Hawai'i has gone up following Tuesday's wildfire in Maui, with 53 people confirmed dead. The cumber could be even higher as search and rescue efforts continue. FOX 26's Matthew Seedorff spoke with one Houston family getting home from Maui on Thursday.
HOUSTON - Families are returning to Houston from Maui after a deadly wildfire destroyed the Hawaiian town of Lahaina.
"It’s sad and devastating to hear from the people who lost their homes," said Michelle Polk. "We always to go Lahaina. We stay not far from that area and have many fond memories there, but yeah. It’s gone."
The Polk family had a scheduled flight Tuesday afternoon after the Maui airport. From where they were staying, they had to drive through Lahaina. Cellphone video shows their drive through town with winds gusting between 60 and 70 miles per hour.
HAWAI'I FIRE: Maui wildfire: Death toll rises to 53; thousands race to escape
"Palms [were] falling, sticks falling on the road as we were driving," said Polk. "Being from Houston, that didn’t really scare us. Then, we started to hear about the fires."
As of Thursday evening, the death toll had risen to 53. However, officials fear that number could climb.
Polk says their family has traveled to Maui at least 10 times together. They have family there and several friends. As they learned about the wildfire, they started trying to contact all of their loved ones and friends.
"One of them I have not been able to get in touch with," said Polk. "I’m concerned. I’ve sent an email, but phone lines, everything is down. I’m just sad to hear, along the way, of more and more people deceased being found."
On Thursday, President Joe Biden declared a major disaster on Maui.
"Please send prayers to the people of Maui," said Polk. "They need them."