Colorado Pilot on Family Vacation Flew Plane Carrying 300 Out of Maui Amid Deadly Fires

A pilot who was on vacation in Hawaii at the same time wildfires swept through and destroyed much of the state’s island of Maui reportedly ended up flying 300 people to safety.

United Airlines Capt. Vince Eckelkamp and his family were visiting Maui from Denver, Colorado before the flames struck. They were scheduled to fly out of the island to Hawaii’s mainland on Tuesday when they were told their flight was delayed by 33 hours, according to CBS News.

The reason for the long delay? No pilots were available. That’s when Eckelkamp said he stepped up.

"I knew the line check pilot, and I texted him and said, 'Hey, I'm available to augment you if you'd like," Eckelcamp told local Denver station 9News. However, the pilot was initially turned down.

“I got a call from the crew desk because they knew I was available because I offered to augment, and they said no. But this time, I was it. The flight was going to be canceled if no one volunteered. There were just no more pilots,” Eckelkamp reportedly said.

And so the pilot, along with his family, reportedly safely flew about 300 people out of Maui on an airplane that previously had no one to fly it. Eckelkamp told 9News he had to fly the plane “polo shirt, shorts and tennis shoes."

When Eckelkamp’s family reportedly left their hotel on Tuesday morning to make their way to the airport, they were given a warning to take care traveling through Maui’s city of Lahaina. The family told CBS News that what they saw while driving through the area will stay with them forever.

"It was crazy, there were power lines down, trees down, couple of people walking, and they were getting pelted with sand and debris and roof shingles. It was like we were in a vortex," Kathy, Vince Eckelkamp’s wife, said.

"It's so scary knowing that we were on Front Street a few hours before the fire started... if we'd stay for a couple of hours, we could have been caught up on that," Eckelkamp’s daughter Kallie told CBS when speaking about Lahaina.

While Eckelkamp said that he was happy he could help out, he also noted he feels like “such a small piece of such a huge puzzle.”

“There's just so much that Maui needs right now and my part in it was so small, and I'm so glad I was able to do it,” the pilot told 9News.

United Airlines has reportedly reimbursed Eckelkamp’s original flight ticket for his assistance.

The wildfires that swept through Maui are now considered the deadliest fires in all of American history. So far, at least 99 people are confirmed dead, and that number is expected to rise significantly.

The city of Lahaina, which the Eckelkamp’s drove through, is now considered completely destroyed.