Hawaii Devastation: Locals Jumped into the Ocean to Escape the Blaze

Locals reportedly jumped into the ocean to escape the blaze that engulfed Hawaii’s Maui island, which has now claimed the lives of at least 55 people.

An emergency room doctor who assisted victims of the wildfires that devastated the coastal town of Lahaina recounted some of the intense stories of escape from the flames. The fire spread quickly, leaving many with no choice but to flee to the ocean for survival.

“That whole front street and that whole area just burned down, and people ran into the water; they were jumping into the ocean; they were paddling out to sea,” Dr. Reza Danesh said during a Friday appearance on TODAY.

“This one girl said she held on to like some metal rod or something in the middle, like 30 yards out, for like seven hours until she was able to come back in,” he explained.

“Her friend was hanging on with her, and her friend didn’t survive. Kind of like a ‘Titanic’ story,” he said, describing the scene, responding to the fires.

Fourteen people who escaped to the ocean were rescued, according to authorities.

VIDEO — Aerial Footage, Before & After Pictures Show Devastating Hawaii Wildfire

“I started getting text messages from some of the EMS people, paramedics, and firefighters that there’s bodies on the ground, like lots. And that was kind of disturbing. It was just kind of surreal,” he said, describing what he saw when he arrived on the scene with his mobile unit.

“I could see trees burning, I could feel the smoke, I could feel the heat,” he said. “It was basically like another pandemic, to explain it. It was a ghost town, very apocalyptic.”