Getty Images Steven Tyler's daughter shares Maui story.
Steven Tyler is the latest celebrity whose family is speaking out about the wildfires in Maui. The former “American Idol” judge’s daughter, Mia Tyler, was on vacation on the Hawaiian island, with her 6-year-old son, Axton, when the devastating blaze broke out.
“I don’t know where to start,” Mia Tyler, the 44-year-old daughter of Steven Tyler and the late Cyrinda Foxe, captioned a post on her Instagram Stories on August 12, 2023, according to Hollywood Life. “Halfway through our vacation on Maui we got news that a horrible fire had started an hour north of us. I don’t need to tell you what happened next. All I can say is, it was way worse than what you saw on the news and online,” she added, according to Hollywood Life.
“Many people and animals have lost their lives. Homes destroyed. Sacred buildings burnt to ashes. Thousand of locals and tourists displaced. And the horrors those people had to see and experience. Trying to keep my family and friends safe was all I could do. We were in a sacred paradise and could do nothing,” she wrote, according to Hollywood Life.
Tyler and her son were able to get on a flight out of Maui, according to WFMZ in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
Here’s what you need to know:
Maui Residents Have Been Asking for Help by Way of Donations
The people of Lahaina, a town of 13,000, have been left with nothing but the shirts on their backs as the wildfires leveled houses, scorched cars and stole memories from families who lived in the seaside town.
Many have been asking for help, by way of donations, as thousands of people have been displaced.
“You can’t imagine, even from the pictures. It’s— everything is gone. There’s nothing left,” local business owner J.D. Hessemer told “CBS Mornings.” “Lahaina needs the world’s help,” he said.
Mia Tyler also asked the public for help.
“PLEASE DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI, as the hotels are helping to home the people of Maui. The island needs to heal and does not need tourists taking up valuable resources right now,” she said.
“The only thing we can do is donate to these wonderful people that need us the most right now. Please help. Any penny helps. I pray this land heals and comes back stronger like it always does,” she pleaded.
The Maui Fires May Have Started Due to Downed Power Lines & Residents Had No Forewarning
Like other areas of the country this summer, Hawaii has dealt with dry conditions that contribute to the risk of wildfires.
The exact cause of the blaze isn’t clear, experts say that downed power lines could be the culprit, according to The New York Times. The “fires were stoked on Wednesday by a combination of low humidity and strong mountain winds, brought by Hurricane Dora,” the paper said.
Thousands of residents and vacationers were forced to evacuate as the fire ripped through the area with little warning. “None of the 80 warning sirens placed around Maui were activated by the island or state’s emergency management agencies as the fire bore down on Lahaina,” the Times reported.
“Unexpected. This is quite stunning. Quite stunning. I watched the fire from the park as it raged the other night and it was just really apocalyptic,” Hawaii resident Michael Kapoustin told KITV4.
As of August 12, 2023, People magazine reported that more than 1,000 people had been unaccounted for. The death toll is nearing 100, according to CBS News.
READ NEXT: Christina Hall Gives an Update on Her Parents Amid Maui ‘Tragedy’