Drone Picture Shows Grim Evidence of Panic as Maui Fires Encroached on Lahaina: ‘Vehicles of People Who Were Trying to Escape’

A disquieting photo posted to Facebook on Friday morning shows a jumbled mess of burned cars in Maui trying to flee as fires continue to spread. 

The photo, shot with an overhead drone and credited to Javier Cantellops, shows dozens of destroyed and abandoned cars along a waterside road “trying to escape the fire,” the Facebook caption says. Smoke lingers in the background of the photo.

The blaze broke out Tuesday on the Hawaiian island and raged through the night, prompting a series of evacuations. There were three separate fires on the western side of the island that broke out — on Lahaina, Pulehu, and Upcountry Maui. Lahaina suffered the most damage. 

Tourists were forced to evacuate hotels, and residents described heartbreaking decisions to leave their beloved pets behind as they scrambled for safety.

At least 55 people have so far died in the blaze, with about 1,000 still missing. Nearly 1,700 structures were destroyed. 

Residents of Lahaina, a historic town and Maui tourist hotspot, have been “having to wake up everyday knowing that they have lost their homes, their loved ones, and their livelihood,” the Facebook caption says. 

The person who posted the photo under the username Aloha Malia did not immediately return The Messenger’s request for more information. 

Video posted to social media shows a harrowing scene in Lahaina, with plumes of gray smoke billowing in the sky as several structures are on fire. 

Some people were filmed jumping into the ocean in an attempt to escape the scorching flames.