‘Devastating’: Emergency flights touch down at YVR from wildfire-ravaged Maui

Travellers began arriving at Vancouver’s International Airport Thursday morning from the Hawaiian island of Maui.

At least 36 people have died due to wildfires burning on the popular island destination. Hawaiian tourist town Lahaina has been reduced to ashes.

Thousands of travellers have been scrambling to get out of Maui and tell Global News it has been chaos. Air Canada said Tuesday’s flight from Maui to Vancouver was cancelled.

Wednesday night the airline sent a larger, empty aircraft to pick people up. That was delayed but arrived Thursday morning, along with a WestJet flight.

“Twenty-four hours at the airport because our flight was cancelled,” traveller Edwardo Alvarez said. “There wasn’t any support whatsoever in terms of communication from WestJet representatives. People sleeping on the ground, feeling like homeless. That was my experience.”

5:10 Travel Tips: Canadians returning after wildfires in Maui

Passenger, Jennifer Cordoba, told Global News when she arrived Thursday that seeing what happened in Maui was really sad and devastating.

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“We were under the Banyan Tree and it’s all gone, it’s really sad,” she said. “It is changing fast and it’s really scary, but we’re really grateful that we got on our flight. We slept at the Maui Airport for 24 hours but that’s all you can do.”

The Lahaina Banyan Tree was planted in 1873 and was a tourist attraction in the community.

There is concern it has now burned to the ground but officials said they are hopeful the roots are still healthy.

2:05 Hawaii wildfires kill 36 as historic town of Lahaina torched: “Everything’s gone”

• Hawaii wildfires kill 36 as historic town of Lahaina torched: “Everything’s gone”
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• ‘Like a war zone’: Hawaii’s catastrophic Maui wildfires tear through historic town
• Canadian tourists impacted by Maui wildfires
• Hawaii wildfires: Dramatic drone video shows devastation on Maui

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“We have a little one and we were staying just north of Lahaina where all the big fires took place and it was just devastating,” passenger Justin Mulholland said.

“The fires were getting closer to our hotel room and we had no communication, little food and we were stranded for another night there. It was devastating for sure.”

Fellow passenger John Bryant held back tears as he told Global News of a friend who lost his cottage and his home.

“In the harbour, all the boats are gone, the Pioneer Inn is gone. We visited there two days before it happened,” he said. “It is really sad.”

While many people are happy to be home, many are still waiting to get out. Air Canada said it will be sending another flight Thursday night, which will arrive Friday morning.

Passengers are being told to keep checking the website for the latest information.