Maui native in Colorado Springs can only watch as wildfire tears through home city

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Krista Ingram has lived in Colorado Springs since 2019, but before that, she spent nearly 20 years on the island of Maui.

Since Wednesday, a wildfire swept through and wiped out nearly all of the historic Lahaina portion of the city, which as of this evening has claimed over 65 lives.

Ingram says that Lahaina was where she used to go after high school football games with friends and celebrate Halloween downtown. But now she can only watch, as the fire rages on.

"Lahaina will just never be the same," stated Ingram.

She says she grew up on the other side of Maui, but Lahaina was a way for her to get away and have fun.

But as the deadly wildfires tore through the historic part of Maui, those memories are all that she has left.

"Just seeing the pictures almost takes away my childhood," Ingram said.

Wednesday morning, Ingram awoke to the news of the blaze breaking out in Maui. She immediately contacted her parents.

"Talked to Mom and she's like, your Dad's okay, he's home. He's not on that side."

Her cousin, she found out, was also unharmed, but only after just a 5-second phone call. Cell towers were destroyed in the fires.

Ingram says, being thousands of miles away...has taken a toll this week...

"All my family call me Tita, which means big sister, and I'm not there to be big sister, so it's hard."

Lahaina carries with it a whole lot of history. From the 150-year-old Banyan Tree, which has now suffered burns all over.

Or on Front Street, where plenty shopped, ate, and hangout downtown.

"Now you look at the pictures of [it] and it looks like it belongs on The Walking Dead," says Ingram.

And namely, it served as a place for plenty of tourists - which Ingram fears will now hurt the city and state even more moving forward.

"The tourist industry is what keeps it going. It really is. And now it's going to struggle. They're going to struggle for a while not having that." explains Ingram.

You can help a local Colorado Springs group that is collecting supplies to send out to the people of Maui, you can visit this Facebook group.