Hawaii fire: Aurora family stranded on Maui amid Lahaina fire

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A family from west suburban Aurora is stranded on Maui as the Lahaina fire continues to rage.

All non-essential travel to Maui has been discouraged so the state can prioritize resources for island residents. At least six people have been killed, and at least two dozen have been injured. The wildfire tore through the heart of the island in darkness, reducing much of a historic town to ash and forcing people to jump into the ocean to flee the flames.

READ MORE: Wildfire burning one of Hawaii's most popular tourist areas as people flee; 6 dead

Aerial video from coastal Lahaina showed dozens of homes and businesses flattened, including on Front Street, where tourists gathered to shop and dine. Smoking heaps of rubble lay piled high next to the waterfront, boats in the harbor were scorched, and gray smoke hovered over the leafless skeletons of charred trees.

Mike Zepeda and his family originally planned their trip to Hawaii to celebrate his recent retirement as a West Chicago police officer. They landed on Maui Tuesday, but never made it to their resort.

"The brush fires had just caught the grass on fire on the other side of the highway almost literally right in front of us," he said.

Zepeda shared videos he took along their drive.

"You could just see people just exiting their homes and jumping over fences to get out of the area trying to get away from the fire."

Zepeda said power lines were strewn and sparking on the roadways. Thick black smoke filled the air from the wildfires, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions.

Zepeda and his wife's cousin, a retired Bay Area police officer, did what they could to help first responders.

"You couldn't even open the door the wind was so fast and it was so hard to get out," Zepeda said.

With power outages and road closures, the family spent Tuesday night sleeping in their rental car. But for many who call Maui home, that's not an option.

Shani Purdy, who lives in Springfield, was born and raised on Maui. Her hometown of historic Lahaina, former capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom, has been destroyed by the fires.

"How am I going to call that place, that place again? How about the people?" she said.

Purdy is now partnering with the American Red Cross and hopes others do the same to help her people and rebuild her childhood home.

"We lost all those historical artifacts and all that of our historic in Lahaina town but we still got each other and that's what makes us strong," she said.

If you do have travel plans to Maui, some airlines, including American, Delta and United, are offering travel waivers to change trips without fees.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.