Swedish Rasmus Hagman is one of all those who were surprised by the forest fires sweeping across the Hawaiian island of Maui. Now he is stranded on the eastern side of the island, without his belongings. At the same time, his friend has lost both his home and his job.
– The whole island is closed, there are fires everywhere. It’s chaotic, he says.
At least 36 people have so far died in the wildfires that have rapidly wreaked havoc on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Swedish Rasmus Hagman went to Maui on vacation. He and his friend, who lives on the island, were up in the mountains when the fires broke out. When they came back down, everything had changed.
– We have been hiking for three days without internet or telephone. When we came back, there was a note on our car saying that they had closed the entire national park, he says.
Stranded on the other side of the island
Both residents and tourists have been forced to flee after the fires quickly swept across the western side of the island, where the historic tourist town of Lahaina was completely destroyed. Rasmus and his friend are on the east side of the island.
– The road to the western part of the island is completely closed and we have all our things there. We are a bit stranded here, he says.
And for Rasmus’ friend, it’s even worse. Most of her possessions now fit in the backpack she brought with her on the hike.
– As soon as she got coverage, she got a text saying that her whole house has burned down, and her whole job has burned down. She is without a house and without a job.
“An entire city has burned down”
President Joe Biden has described the fires as a major disaster and authorized federal aid for relief efforts, after residents of Hawaii pleaded for more help.
Rasmus describes that on the eastern side of the island it mostly smells of burning, but that the atmosphere is palpable, at the same time as the police are directing people on the streets.
– We were inside a shop where people were standing and crying, people have a bit of a panic. The fire spread in just a few hours. Gas stations have exploded, and an entire city has burned down, he says.