shawn paxton took his wife and mother-in-law to a grocery stor in lahaina telling his father-in-law andng children that they would return >> the last message my father-in-law heard from my mother-in-law was that we are being engulfed in smoke and the the line went dead. >> reporter: flames tour across the island, giving visitors and locals little time to react. he was hit by red-hot shingles. th coast guard look to the apocalyptic scene. before and after photos show vast sections of paradise lost. >> it is not just the loss of our home but our community. our town that we have known it to be. >> reporter: dozens of water drops have been deployed in the search for survivors. while shawn has received texts from the hotel that all guests are safe, he and his wife still hav no way of letting the kids know that mom and dad are safe. >> it has been terrifying, exhausting, and we don't have any information. >> i cannot imagine not being able to talk to my child in a situation like that. they will try to fly back to the bay area but that might be easier said than done. many tourists have been ev

. >> reporter: shawn paxton and his wife have not heard since the fire erupted. they drove to a grocery store in lahaina telling their seven-year-old son and 15-month-old baby who were with their grandfather at a hotel that they would be right back. >> the last message that my mother-in-law left for my father-in-law was that we are engulfed in smoke. then the line went dead. >> reporter: they tried but could not get back to their hotel by car, sleeping in a parking lot the first night. no calls or texts are getting through and communication with the marriott hotel in kaanapali has been difficult. >> your kids don't know if you're okay. they have not heard from you. things are frustrating to me. >> reporter: thousands on the island are without cell phone service. power cut off to at least 14,000 homes and businesses in the area. it could take days or weeks to get the network up and running. paxton says he has received vague texts from the hotel saying that all guests are safe, but the army veteran is waiting for confirmation that his children are accounted for. >>