HEROIC

Maui Boat Captain Describes Rescuing Young Kids From Burning Waves

“It was like clear at that point—no one is gonna help us.”

A boat captain in Hawaii has described seeing waves on fire as she and her crew desperately tried to save as many people as possible as wildfires tore through Lahaina. On the evening of Aug. 8, Christina Lovitt fought to help people in the harbor whose boats were either damaged or blown out to sea in powerful winds. “The smoke was so thick that visibility in the harbor was almost zero. We could feel the intense heat,” Lovitt said. She added that when the flames got closer to the water, it became “clear” that “no one is gonna help us—no one’s gonna help put the fire out.” Burning embers picked up by the wind blew onto boats that in turn caught fire and exploded. “There were waves—like waves that you could surf—outside the harbor that were on fire,” she said. During her rescue efforts, Lovitt found two young children in the water and brought them to safety. “I’m feeling terrible that we didn’t get more people out,” she added. So far, at least 111 fatalities have been confirmed as a result of the disaster.