SFO reports Hawaii fires causing handful of flight delays
SAN FRANCISCO — A handful of flights to Maui out of San Francisco International Airport were delayed Wednesday due to the devastating wildfires raging across the west side of the island.
While Kahului Airport, the island's main travel hub, remains open, SFO reported that six flights were delayed and one was canceled due to the ongoing state of emergency on Maui.
"Unable to say how long impact will go, we recommend travelers headed to Hawaii to sign up for proactive flight notifications from their airline," SFO spokesman Doug Yakel said in an email.
The impacted flights include those from Alaska, Hawaiian and United, Yakel said.
Neither Oakland International nor San Jose Mineta International airports reported fire-related impacts Wednesday.
The Maui fires broke out Tuesday and were spread quickly by intense winds blowing in from Hurricane Dora, which passed several hundred miles to the south of the archipelago.
On Wednesday, Hawaii Gov. Dr. Josh Green said the inferno has devastated much of the historic town of Lahaina, led to widespread power outages, including at hotels and emergency shelters, and forced more than 2,100 people from their homes.
Green also said that so far six people have died in the blaze.
Also on Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke extended the state's existing emergency proclamation in order to discourage all non-essential air travel to Maui.
"This proclamation is to discourage travel to the affected areas so we can prioritize our scarce resources for Maui residents who desperately need assistance," Luke said in a news release.