aina kohler and her crew continued to water down the area in an effort to extinguish it. >> i think, all in all, we were there from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., so that's about six hours. >> we left because it was time for us to leave. the fire was out, as far as we could see it with our naked eye. >> narrator: but it was the height of the dry season on maui, when high winds and invasive fire-prone grasses make the island a tinderbox. (wind blustering) and shortly before 3:00 p.m., the fire aina kohler's crew had been fighting rekindled. (wind blustering) >> on our way back, we got detoured twice due to downed power lines on the highway. (blustering) but when we got there, it was fresh fire. smoke moving super fast. i was told to just stay there and wait for my next assignment, understanding that the goal was to keep it from jumping the bypass. >> narrator: but, fueled by strong wind, the fire crossed the lahaina bypass within 30 minutes, and began burning a path toward the center of town. (crackling) >> there was, like, a house on fire on the left of me, a house on fire on the right of m