In a rush to get people off Maui, flight crews are stretched thin — so a Denver pilot who was on vacation jumped in to help.

As reported by Denver Gazette media partner 9News, Vince, Kathy and Kallie Eckelkamp are back home now after their family trip was cut short — first by storms, then by the devastating fires sweeping the island.

“We woke up Tuesday morning about 3 a.m. and the power had gone off and it sounded like a freight train running through the hotel room because of the winds, it was so crazy,” Kathy said.

So the family decided they’d head to the airport early.

“The first we heard there were fires was when we were checking out and the person checking us out said be really careful, there’s wires down and there’s some fires kicking up,” Kathy said.

Despite traffic and detours, they made it to the airport. But their flight kept getting delayed further and further.

“I actually knew one of the pilots who works for me,” said Vince, a longtime pilot and 777 Line Training Manager with United Airlines. “So I talked to him and basically, the flight attendants were staying in Lahaina or Kaanapali. So right about the time they probably had to get on the bus to come to the airport was right about the time Lahaina was really in trouble.”

Read the full article from KUSA here.