‘We Had Minutes to Escape’: Man Describes Day His House Burned Down in Hawaii Fires

A Maui man described the chaotic moment he and his family were forced to flee as flames from raging wildfires engulfed their house on the Hawaiian island Tuesday.

"Our neighbor's yard was on fire and we had minutes to escape because an hour later, we would find out that our house had burned completely to the ground," Dustin Kaleiopu told NBC's TODAY Show on Thursday morning.

"Everyone I know is now homeless," Kaleiopu added. "In 36 hours, our town has been burned to ash. There's nothing left."

Kaleiopu's house was among the more than 270 structures destroyed in the island's historic Lahaina area during fires fueled by fierce winds from Category 4 Hurricane Dora.

The devastation knocked out electricity and cell service, hampering communications as residents tried to search for and connect with loved ones. As of Thursday, at least 36 people had died and another 11,000 people had evacuated the island, a popular tourist destination.

Kaleiopu told the TODAY Show as the heavy smoke encroached on his family's home, he could hear "explosions happening around the block from the gas station and from businesses."

His father, like thousands of other people who fled, "had no means of communication with us," he added.

While his family was eventually able to regroup, Kaleiopu said others have not been able to locate their relatives.

"There were still so many other people we're unable to get in touch with, and that still remains true for a lot of the families here," he said.

Many of the families who reside in Lahaina are multi-generational, Kaleiopu told NBC.

"It's sad to see that many of those great grandparents, or even grandparents, some of the children even, are still unaccounted for," he said.

"And although the physical sight of the destruction is painful to see, the inability to have communication with their family members, knowing what's going on, is really what's hurting everyone here right now."

Major General Kenneth S. Hara said Wednesday that although authorities on the island were working to restore cell phone service, officials expect it could take over a month to repair the system.

Amid the widespread outages, emergency personnel have been forced to rely on satellite and radio communication as search and rescue efforts continue.