IN A PLACE THAT IS TYPICALLY PARADISE OR AT LEAST 36 PEOPLE ARE NOW DEAD AS WILDFIRES CONTINUE TO BURN OUT OF CONTROL IN MAUI. THE MASSIVE FIRES HAVE LEFT NEARLY 300 STRUCTURES DESTROYED AND DECIMATED AN ENTIRE TOWN. >> AND HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, THOUSANDS TRYING TO LEAVE THE HAWAIIAN ISLAND AND GET TO SAFETY. ABC'S MELISSA DON LIVE FOR US IN MAUI WITH MORE ON THE DANGEROUS SITUATION THERE. MELISSA. GRAY. >> SARAH IT REALLY IS. IT'S DEVASTATING AND THEN IT'S ALSO VERY CONCERN ING WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE WEATHER CONDITIONS. JUST HERE, IT STILL REMAINS WINDY . YET THIS IS BETTER THAN WHAT THEY'VE BEEN SEEING HERE IN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS AS FIRE FIGHTERS REMAIN HOPEFUL. OFFICIALS ON THE GROUND SAYING THE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE SLIGHTLY IMPROVING. BUT THE IMAGES IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND CAPTURE THE WIDER SPREAD DEVASTATION. >> WHAT WE SAW HERE LOOKED LIKE AN AREA THAT HAD BEEN BOMBED AND BURNED BY IN A WAR ZONE. IT WASD UNBELIEVABLE THE FIRES THAT TORE ACROSS MAUI, ESPECIALLY LAHAINA, LEAVING DOZENS DEAD AND NEARLY 300 STRUCTURES DESTROYED. >> ONE MAN WE SPOKE WITH SAYS HE BELIEVES HIS HOME IS LOST AND DESCRIBED TO US HIS TERRIFYING ESCAPE. >> IT WAS A HUGE BLACK SMOKE BACK THEN AND. I IT'S UNDESCRIBABLE. IT'S LIKE A IT'S LIKE THEY SAY APOCALYPTIC. >> THOUSANDS TRYING TO FLEE THE FIRES LEFT STRANDED AT THE AIRPORT BEING TOLD IT MIGHT BE DAYS BEFORE THEY CAN LEAVE. THE LUCKY PASSENGERS WHO MANAGED TO MAKE IT BACK HOME DESCRIBING THE DESPERATE CONDITIONS THEY JUST LEFT IN MAUI AND HOW THEY'RE JUST THANKFUL TO NOW BE SAFE. WE HAD POWER OUT FOR ABOUT 36 HOURS AT THE RESORT. >> WE'RE AT HURRICANE WINDS. IT WAS BAD. WE WENT FOR A WALK. WE KIND OF TURNED THE CORNER AND LAHAINA WAS JUST ON FIRE. >> THE BACK ON THE ISLAND, THE AREA MOST SEVERELY IMPACTED THE HISTORIC TOWN OF LAHAINA. ONCE THE CAPITAL OF THE HAWAIIAN KINGDOM AND HOME TO 12,000 PEOPLE NOW UTTERLY DESTROYED. DRIVING THROUGH THE TOWN, CHARRED TREES BURNED OUT CARS, EVERY STRUCTURE REDUCED TO RUBBLE. THE ENTIRE SEAFRONT DECIMATED EVEN THE OCEAN DIDN'T DETER THE FLAMES AS THIS FERRY BURNED OUT. AND JUST TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, EVACUATION EFFORTS REALLY ARE DIFFICULT. I WANT YOU TO POINT OUT HERE THE ROAD THAT WE ARE ALONG. THIS IS ONE WAY IN AND ONE WAY OUT RIGHT NOW. WHAT WE'RE SEEING, THESE CARS THAT ARE GOING IN ARE ALL EMERGENCY RESPONDING VEHICLES. YOU CAN TELL A LOT OF THEM, PICKUP TRUCKS, A LOT OF THEM RIGHT HERE. I SEE HAWAIIAN ELECTRIC. THESE ARE ALL EMERGENCY RESPONDERS THAT ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO HELP ON THE OTHER SIDE, THERE'S ONLY RESIDENTS, MANY OF THEM SAYING THEY'RE JUST WAITING FOR THAT MOMENT THAT THEY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO CHECK ON THEIR HOME AND THEIR NEIGHBORS. GRAY >> YEAH, DEVASTATION THERE
