PNW volunteers, first-responders fly to Maui in wake of wildfire disaster

Raging wildfires continue to devastate the community in Maui. Meanwhile, people from the Pacific Northwest are heading to Hawaii to help in any way they can.

SEATTLE - Raging wildfires continue to devastate the community in Maui. Meanwhile, people from the Pacific Northwest are heading to Hawaii to help in any way they can.

"Seeing the local people around just made me feel terrible," said Casey Turner, who flew back from Hawaii Friday. "I wanted to get out of there just for them."

Travelers are making their way back to Seattle after witnessing devastation right before their eyes -- heartbreaking moments they say they will never forget.

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Oprah Winfrey's estate is seen on March 16, 2004 in Kula, Hawaii. (Credit: Erik Aeder/Getty Images)

"There's a woman I spoke to at the airport," said Emily Taradish, who flew back from Hawaii Friday. "She ran the gift shop. She was asked to be open because people didn't have clothes. They were coming and needing to buy clothes because all of their things had been burned."

"You could literally see the burn pass that followed the road, and then the wind picked up. The burn jumped the road and then just started catching all that on fire," Turner said. "You could literally see the path go alongside the road, turn, jump-- it was crazy."

While Hawaiians make their way back to the mainland, volunteers are making their departure.

"I have safety gear, I wear gloves, a flashlight," said Kristin Connelly with Washington Task Force One. "I have a flag packed with me here."

Connelly is all packed for the next 14 days. She's part of Washington Task Force One, a FEMA urban search and rescue team headed to Maui.

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"I have a bag full of toiletries," Connelly said. "All the essentials, wet wipes, deodorant and brush."

The task force left Sea-Tac Airport Friday morning with 35 search and rescue personnel, 10 support personnel, and a five-person canine human remains detection team.

"We're going to be assisting the locals and searching for any additional victims, which is an important and critical piece which is helping bring closure to the families and stuff like that," said William Palmer, program manager for Washington Task Force One.

They're also going to map out and identify hazards that need to be cleaned and have hazmat come through before anyone can start rebuilding. The task force will join other volunteers in Hawaii who are helping wildfire survivors with the aftermath of the flames.

"This doesn't look like it's going to just be in and out shelter operation," said Aaron Hayes, a volunteer with the American Red Cross. "This is going to be a long time for Maui and for Lahaina folks to recover."

Hayes will be helping with the shelter spaces for the next two weeks.

Maui fire resources

"Even though you see the pictures on the news, it doesn't really represent what it is you're going into," Hayes said.

Hayes has experience helping those in utter devastation, helping after Hurricane Ian and 9/11.

"You do this long enough, you learn how to deal with it," Hayes said. "You make do."

Volunteers typically go out for two weeks at a time. One reason is the strain on resources-- a lot of these people have full-time jobs and they're offering their time to help. Another reason is for overall volunteer wellness: mentally and physically. These are long, 12-hour days, witnessing first-hand the destruction of these fires.