Nick and I spent the day inside as it was too windy to safely go outside. Power had been out since before we woke up and cell service was out, too. This didn’t alarm us much as the power typically goes out on the island when it’s that windy. Around 4:00pm, I happened to look out the window and saw so much dust blowing around that it got pretty dark outside for a brief moment. (Turns out it was probably smoke, not dust). I mentioned that it might be a good idea to get go-bags packed. We turned on our emergency radio, but the only news we remember hearing on the radio was about a brush fire in Kula (and maybe about the fire in Kihei?).
Approximately 4:10pm, I saw a woman standing on the sidewalk outside our building just staring down Baker Street, so Nick went outside to check out the situation. He came back inside and said we should start packing our bags because he was seeing a lot of smoke. He had also talked to a family stuck in traffic on Baker Street who said there was a serious fire in Lahainaluna. We focused on packing what we would need for the next few days - sleeping mats, blankets, headlamps, etc. We still didn't think we had too much cause for concern since we weren't being officially evacuated, since there was nothing on the radio about the fire, and since we didn't hear any sirens. However, we knew it wasn't safe to stay because of the amount of smoke.
Approximately 4:25 pm, we heard on the radio they were only evacuating one subdivision in Lahainaluna and that the bypass was open. It still didn't sound as if there was any immediate cause for concern.
Approximately 4:30 pm, it got so dark inside that we had to use our headlamps to see and all of our smoke alarms started going off. Nick ran outside to check out the situation and quickly came back in, saying we had to go NOW. Traffic was so backed up on Baker Street and on Front Street that we decided to abandon our friend’s car we were thinking of buying and flee on foot. Our plan had been to take our bikes, but in the chaos of packing Nick couldn’t find the key to his bike lock. There was no time to look for it. Outside was utter chaos. It was black as night from the smoke and there were burning embers falling everywhere. The smoke made it very difficult to breathe and see. Vehicular and foot traffic was going in both directions on Front Street because nobody knew the best way to go. We initially started to run towards the harbor because of the way the wind was blowing, but I hesitated, telling Nick it just didn’t feel like we should go that direction. Nick saw a police car - he ran up to it and and tried asking the officer inside which way to go. The officer looked at Nick and then looked away, not providing any guidance whatsoever. We decided to turn around and head north instead, towards Baby Beach. On the way, someone in a vehicle already heading north asked me what they should do. I told them the best thing would be to go to the Civic Center. Nick and I were both disappointed that the police weren't helping to guide traffic and that there was STILL no siren or any sort of formal evacuation notice. When we got to Kahoma Village there was less smoke in the air and we could see blue sky ahead, so we knew we were going the right direction.
4:43 pm: Took a picture when we got to the Kahoma Stream Bridge on Front Street, looking back at the black smoke we had just run through/away from.
[Below is a video taken by a stranger at 4:52 pm. This video is on Front Street in front of Lahaina Residential, looking back towards Channel House (our apartment complex). There is a bright red glow in the background and it appears the Channel House is already on fire.]
Video shared by a stranger we met the night of the fire - our apartment is the one behind Lahaina Residential.
We continued making our way north. Traffic was still backed up, although a few people started to utilize both lanes to get out faster. We stopped at a friend's apartment in Wahikuli (104 Wahikuli Road). At first we thought we would be able to spend the night there, but we only ended up staying approximately 20 minutes - we quickly decided we needed to evacuate from there as well, even though there was still no evacuation notice, no updates on the radio, and no siren. Started walking on Ainakea Road with our 3 friends from 104 Wahikuli Road towards the Civic Center. Traffic in the Wahikuli neighborhood was completely backed up and everyone seemed confused and frustrated. Nobody in the vehicles knew what was happening and many were trying to go towards Lahaina. We spoke to some tourists who were trying to get back to Kihei and they were shocked to hear that there was a fire up ahead and that the road was likely closed. I also saw our mail carrier, who was sitting in her truck and baffled as to why traffic wasn't moving. I stopped to talk to her. She was trying to get back to Lahaina (she told me she lived just off Front Street) to get home to her dog. I gently told her about the situation on Front Street and tried to prepare her for the fact that she might not be able to get there. It was upsetting to see how distressed she was upon hearing the news. The people we saw who lived in Wahikuli appeared concerned but, as there was still no evacuation notice, no updates on the radio, and no siren, many weren't making moves to pack up and leave.
5:33 pm: Took a picture as we came down Leiali'i Pkwy towards Honoapiilani Hwy, looking back at Lahaina Town.
The five off us decided that it would be better to go to our friend's place at Sunset Terrace in Honokowai instead of the Civic Center, so we crossed Honoapiilani Highway and walked north on the beach path until we got to Canoe Beach. Being outside with the wind blowing and downed power lines/trees made us uneasy. We briefly stopped to take another picture because when we looked back we could see flames by the shoreline.
Once we got to Canoe Beach, traffic going out of Lahaina started moving again; therefore, we decided to hitchhike up to Honokowai.
6:02: Took a picture of us getting in the back of a truck that stopped to pick us up. The people in the truck were friends of ours who had seen us running down Front Street as they were leaving Kahoma Village - that’s how bad traffic was. We got there faster on foot, despite making a pit-stop in Wahikuli.
Once at Sunset Terrace, we turned on the radio for updates. NO accurate news about the Lahaina Town fire was on the radio - the few times the news was discussed, it was still only about the fires in Kula, the fire in Kihei, and the brush fire in Lahainaluna. Nothing about the full scale Lahaina Town fire was mentioned. It was extremely frustrating to not have any current news about the situation.