reporter: i spoke with emerson timmons who has lived there for 18 years.nesday, the roads were closed and he was not home so he got on a bicycle and rode through the burn area to get to his family. he realized what he was witnessing was unlike anything he had ever seen. this is his story in his own words. >> if you know island life, we are all one big family. it hurts. it hurts to see everyone suffering like this. i couldn't leave because the roads were closed. i got on my friend's bike and i had to get back to my family because there's fires elsewhere. this is downtown front street. mission impossible. you are not supposed to go through the town. i just had to get to my family. i went along the ocean and went through line a town. i realize the documenting everything at that point. here's all the restaurants. everything that used to be here. no more. up on the road, the reason that they were there is they were trying to get out. they were trying to escape the fire. all the cars got trapped and all the people were stuck in those cars, trying to get out. the

reporter: i spoke with emerson timmons who has lived there for 18 years.ay, the roads were closed and he was not home so he got on a bicycle and rode through the burn area to get to his family. he realized what he was witnessing was unlike anything he had ever seen. this is his story in his own words. >> if you know island life, we are all one big family. it hurts. it hurts to see everyone suffering like this. i couldn't leave because the roads were closed. i got on my friend's bike and i had to get back to my family because there's fires elsewhere. this is downtown front street. mission impossible. you are not supposed to go through the town. i just had to get to my family. i went along the ocean and went through line a town. i realize the documenting everything at that point. here's all the restaurants. everything that used to be here. no more. up on the road, the reason that they were there is they were trying to get out. they were trying to escape the fire. all the cars got trapped and all the people were stuck in those cars, trying to get out. they ha

we connected with a man, emerson timmons, who has lived on maui 18 years. he rode through the birt area to get to his family on wednesday. he said roadblocks could not stop him from reaching them. he went through lahaina, the entire time documenting everything. he turned his committee kept restaurants, shops, the harbor, walkways, things now lost. soon realizing what he was witnessing was unlike anything he had ever seen. >> the cars that had gotten backed up on the road, the reason they were there was they were trying to get out. they would try to escape but the cars got trapped and the people were stuck in those cars trying to get out and they had to run for their lives. family so it hurts to see everyone suffering like this. amanda: he says if there is any bright side to what is happening, he bragged about the 150-year-old tree and he says even though the leaves are burned, he believes the tree is going to make it. it has been considered to be the heart of the oceanside community. i met san jose minette international airport where volunteers are expected

we connected with a man, emerson timmons, who has lived on maui for 18 years. the man got on a bicycle and rode through the burn area to get to his family on wednesday. he said roadblocks cannot stop them -- could not stop him from reaching them. the entire time documenting everything he turned his camera to capture restaurants, shots, the harbor, and is now lost in the fires. soon realizing what he was witnessing was unlike anything he had ever seen. >> to cars that had gotten backed up on the road there, the reason they were there is, we were trying to get out. they were trying to escape that fire. but all of the cars got trapped and all the people were stuck in those cars, trying to get out. they had to run for their lives. not everybody could make it. we are kind of one big family, so it hurts. it hurts to see everyone suffering like this. amanda: he says if there is any bright side to what is happening , he biked by the famous 150-year-old man entry and said though the leaves are burned, from what he observed he believes the beloved tree is going to make i