‘A lot worse’: Winnipeg local recounts scenes of destruction from Maui wildfires

As the fires in Maui wind down, a Winnipeg woman is coming to terms with the destruction left around her.

Tess Lemon has called the island home for the past few years. Originally from Winnipeg, she currently remains safe after spending time vacationing on the island.

This comes in the aftermath of wildfires on the Hawaiian island that struck the town of Lahaina on Aug. 9. The fires have so far killed over 50 people, with local officials saying that the number could well go up.

“As (soon) as I found out about the news…. people were losing everything they ever had,” said Lemon. She is currently in the Haiku area, at the northern end of the island, out of what she said was the impact zone.

“I woke up that morning (with) messages from people. I was safe but many were not spared,” said Lemon. “They have no belongings, no personal items anymore, and their homes are gone.”

According to the Winnipegger, some of her friends are only just learning how much they’ve lost. She’s heard from friends who’d escaped a blaze sweeping through Lahaina. Pets and animals, she noted, have also been affected with many displaced.

Back home in Winnipeg, Lemon’s friend Tyler Mitchell said he checked in as soon as he heard the news. His own cousin, also vacationing, is getting ready to head home.

“Knowing that I have people in my life that are there. It went from a very happy Instagram feed of ‘we’re having a great time on this beautiful tropical island’ to ‘OK, this is chaos,'” said Mitchell.

“Knowing people there, obviously my first thought was to check in and make sure that everything was okay.”

Before the fires began, the U.S. National Weather Service had issued several warnings for high winds and dry weather.

According to Lemon, the realization of loss and grief seems to have just hit people. Even those who weren’t affected, she said, were mourning the loss of friends and family, belongings and land, and the history of the area.

She said she’s bracing herself for more bad news. She is, also, comforted by the support she and everyone on the island have received.

“I think it’s going to be a lot worse than what we already think it is, which is the scary part,” said Lemon.

“Everybody is rallying together on island to try and provide these essential items for people who desperately need them.”

— with files from Global’s Rosanna Hempel.

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