WAUWATOSA, Wis. – A Wisconsin family who vacationed in Maui during the wildfires is now home safe.

What You Need To Know

  • More than 100 people have died in the Hawaii wildfires 

  • The Meier family was on vacation in Lahaina, Maui from Wauwatosa 

  • After days of chaos, the family was finally able to make it home 

The Meiers live in Wauwatosa, and had been to Maui two years before. They were all thrilled to be going back.

They had five great days until they woke up at their hotel north of Lahaina with no power. They decided to go exploring to kill time, hoping power would be back by the time they returned.

“When we got on the highway to go back, there was a huge traffic jam,” Joy Meier said. “We assumed because we saw some flashing lights that there was an accident.”

She started searching Facebook for news, and learned there was a fire in Lahaina. It wasn’t long before they could see it for themselves from the highway.

“We can see the upcountry fires, so it was dark at this point, and you could see the brush burning up in the upcountry,” she said. “It was a ways away but we became very nervous that the fire could spread and we might be in jeopardy where we were … so we decided that we were just going to spend the night in our minivan.”

For days, all their things were still in their hotel room, and they couldn’t go back. Then, the hotel gave them a narrow opportunity to send one person per room on a bus to get their belongings.

“What also became very apparent on Friday was just the extent of the devastation,” Meier said. “How many people potentially might have died in this fire … just decimating this historic town of Lahaina that we've loved, and so many people love, and is really a special sacred place for the Native Hawaiians.”

Luckily, their flight plans didn’t change, and they flew home on Saturday. Once they were home, the gravity of the experience really hit them.

“I think the fear of the fire that we felt ourselves that first night when we were unsure where they were popping up [will stick with us],” she said. “And the gratefulness that we were able to get through it in the best case possible.”

She said the next time they go on vacation, they’re going to think about how to give to the places they visit instead of just enjoying someone else’s homeland.

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