'It's my home:' Arizona residents grieve, fundraise in the wake of Maui wildfires

"Imagine drawing a picture as a young child of everything that you think is beautiful, and then lighting that thing on fire. That's how I feel right now."

Luke Kayyem arrived in Maui from Arizona on Sunday, heading to the areas affected by the wildfires in Lahaina. He's one of many Arizona residents impacted by the fires raging in Hawaii.

Since wildfires started in the early morning of Aug. 8 on the Hawaiian island of Maui, at least 111 people have died, more than 250 buildings in the historic Lahaina Town have been destroyed, hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate and thousands of residents have lost access to basic utilities.

The wildfires burning in Maui are now considered to be the worst natural disaster in the U.S. in the past century, with the number of deaths and material losses expected to significantly increase as officials search the island's fire zone, of which about a quarter had been looked through as of Thursday.

On Aug. 9, Hawaii declared a state of emergency. Although officials are still investigating what sparked the blaze, weather factors are believed to have contributed to the rapid growth and propagation of the fire.

According to The National Weather Service, Maui had red flag weather conditions, meaning a combination of wind gusts, low humidity, lack of rainfall and dry vegetation make it likely for wildfires to start and spread.

Strong gusting winds associated with Hurricane Dora, a Category 4 storm hundreds of miles south of the islands, are believed to have contributed to the fire's unrelenting nature as air currents channel wildfires by increasing the flame's oxygen supply and carrying burning material ahead of the fire.

The hurricane has generated winds of up to 145 mph and gusts up to 170 mph, according to AccuWeather.

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Cottonwood resident grieves for Maui

Brittany Lynn, who lives in Cottonwood, told The Arizona Republic she was in disbelief when she received a call from her grandmother on Tuesday morning telling her that massive wildfires were burning on the island where she grew up.

"It's heartbreaking," Lynn, 35, said. "I'm worried sick about all my friends and family there. It's one of those situations where you keep reloading (a website) to see if there's any new updates."

While a resident of Arizona, Lynn was born in Maui and was raised on the island by her grandparents for most of her childhood and teenage years. Despite having left 20 years ago, she still holds a special place in her heart for Lahaina, she said.

"It's my home. This is devastating," she said. "I haven't been home in so long, and now I'm wondering 'what is there to go home to? What is going to be left after all of this?'"

Lynn's family resides in Kihei, close to where the South Maui wildfire is burning, she said. Currently, her family members are safe and placed on "ready" evacuation status, meaning they should stay alert and be prepared for hazards that can threaten the community.

Lynn said was planning on visiting the island this year with her fiancé for their honeymoon. "Now we're gonna have to see where that goes," she said.

After her grandfather passed away earlier this year, Lynn said the disasters going on in the island have taken an emotional toll on her and her grandmother.

"I have memories of my grandfather and I going snorkeling early every morning in that clear water. It's beautiful," she said. "To lose the places where I have memories of him raising me, it just hurts."

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'People have been completely displaced'

Kayyem grew up in Hawaii and has always considered it his home, having moved there at just two weeks old. Although he now lives in Scottsdale with his wife and children, he visits every summer, spending time with life-long friends and family members living on the island.

Kayyem said four of his close friends who live in Lahaina have lost everything to the wildfires.

"Their home, their cars, their clothes," he said while on the phone with The Republic from Maui. "Every material object, every sentimental item, everything they had it's completely gone. Not just gone as in damaged — gone as in dust."

Kayyem recalled walking down a neighborhood utterly destroyed by the wildfires the day after he arrived on the island, seeing miles of ash and rubble surrounding the area.

"I wasn't here when this happened. I didn't lose my three-four generation house. I didn't see the one thing that I had be completely burned," Kayyem said. "I can't even begin to tell you what I think my friends feel."

The destruction, he said, is much more serious than how it has been portrayed outside of Maui.

His wife, Najla Kayyem, said that as she has received information, photos and footage from her husband and from her loved ones in Maui, the circumstances have become something "beyond comprehensible" for her.

"The devastation that that community is facing is pretty incredible, on a mass level," Najla said. "The entire town has been disseminated, and the people have been completely displaced."

Moving resources from Arizona to Maui

As soon as he knew about the disasters, Kayyem said he did not hesitate to take action and rushed to move his family members, loved ones and community members in Arizona and on social media to help.

As of Thursday, Kayyem had raised over $35,000, collected 10,000 gallons of water, secured a $20,000 shipping donation, filled and shipped a container with supplies and had one of his clients with a private plane fly a load of supplies to Maui.

"Knowing the land, knowing the people, having personal relationships with a lot of these people — I just felt compelled to do something," he said. "I wanted to do something other than sit back and feel sorry for people. I wanted to get into the trenches and do as much service work as we possibly could."

On Sunday, Kayyem hopped on a plane carrying his first drive of items: 10 suitcases and four large duffle bags filled with medicine, water, clothes, linens, baby formula, toiletries and other resources to distribute to the community on the island. Najla Kayyem, Luke's wife, said American Airlines even stepped up and waived the checked baggage fees.

"We just rallied the community, and Luke and his group went to lead by example and hand out supplies, and just really be with the people," Najla said. "We want to do as much for the Hawaiian community as much as we can, because they need it. Hawaii is a very isolated place, and there's not a lot of help."

"People are rallying together, but they're very distraught and upset," she added. "The bottomland is the Hawaiian people need help."

Lynn also urged people to take action and seek ways of assisting Maui residents who are suffering losses during the wildfires.

"Please keep Maui in your prayers," she said.

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How Arizonans can help victims of the Maui fires

• Donate to organizations who are looking for funding. Some include Luke Kayyem's fundraiser, Maui Food Bank, Maui Humane Society, The American Red Cross, Maui Strong Fund, Hawaii Wildfire Relief Fund.

• Stop all non-essential travel to Maui until authorities deem it safe to do so.

• Research information online and stay educated about the fires.

Republic reporter Abigail Celaya contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Arizonans are fundraising, helping Maui wildfire victims