Travel agency evacuates 12 Dutch tourists from wildfires on Maui

The Dutch travel agency Exit Reizen evacuated 12 Dutch and four German tourists from Maui due to the disastrous wildfires on the Hawaiian island. The tourists were taken to another island or left for home on Thursday, NOS reports.

The fires didn’t endanger the tourists, and they left the island safely and unharmed, the travel agency said. Exit Reizen had advised them to leave the island to avoid a possible emergency and not to put an extra burden on the local emergency services. The travelers themselves also wanted to go, the agency said.

Exit Reizen also canceled all its planned trips to Maui in the coming week as a precaution. Affected travelers will be offered an alternative destination. The measure only concerns Maui. There are still Dutch tourists on the other Hawaiian islands.

Wildfires have been raging on Maui for several days, killing at least 55 people and injuring dozens of others. The flames have reduced parts of the island to ashes, including the historic city of Lahaina. The local authorities expect the death toll to rise once they can start searching the burnt-out buildings.

Fires of this magnitude are rare in Hawaii. This fire got so out of hand due to a very dry summer and strong winds from Hurricane Dora.