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Buildings on fire and a sky filled with thick black smoke.
Bushfires, fanned by the winds of a distant hurricane, have destroyed the historic waterfront town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui.
Twelve people have been pulled from the water by the United States Coast Guard after panicked residents leapt into the ocean to escape the flames.
Local man Mason Jarvi was burnt on the leg as he fled on his electric bike.
"I'm a resident of Lahaina for about 18 years and we just had the worst disaster I've ever seen. All of Lahaina is burnt to a crisp and it's like an apocalypse."
Officials say at least six people have been killed.
Some 4,000 tourists are trying to leave western Maui, with airlines dropping fares and offering waivers to get people off the island.
Newlyweds Jolie and Connor Campbell are among them.
They were on a tour with a driver when they received an amber alert telling them to evacuate.
"We didn't know what to do. He tried a different route and that was obviously covered, so we turned around. He ended up dropping us off here. Our stuff is still at our hotel. So we are here at the airport with a flight tonight... But we are just happy to be ok and been praying all night for people to be safe."
President Joe Biden has praised the work of firefighters, and he's ordered all available federal assets on the islands to help with the fire response.
Helicopters are now in the air to drop water to suppress the fires, after high winds prevented them from taking off at first.
The Mayor of Maui County, Richard T. Bissen, says the full extent of the damage is yet to be determined.
"We've had many dwellings, businesses, structures that have been burned to the ground, mostly in our Lahaina neighbourhoods and our Lahaina area. We have had 13 evacuations from different neighbourhoods and towns. We've had 16 road closures."
Officials are discouraging non-essential travel to the island.
Lieutenant Governor Sylvia Luke says it's not a safe place to be.
"On certain parts of Maui we have shelters that are overrun. We have resources that are being taxed. We are doing whatever we can. And the state is providing whatever support that we can."
