A LIVING NIGHTMAR

House gone, Car gone, kids house gone. This is.

- SANDRA MALLON, NICOLA DONNELLY

AN Irish family caught up in the Hawaiian wildfires that killed at least 36 people said yesterday: "It's a living nightmare."

Former Xpose star Peter O'Riordan was among the thousands who lost everything when they were forced to flee their homes on the archipelago's second biggest island of Maui.

The Cork man quit the Virgin Media show in 2016 to move to Hawaii with his wife Stephanie Evans, where he set up a sailing charter firm.

But on Wednesday, he and his family were forced to run for their lives when fast-moving wildfires tore through the city of Lahaina, the island's main tourist destination.

Peter tweeted: "House gone, car gone, kids' house gone, grandma's house gone, everyone out safe... this is a living nightmare. Pray for us here in Maui."

He then tweeted Oprah to help residents who have "lost everything".

"As Maui residents please help us @Oprah we have lost everything. @ JeffBezos @larryellison and continue to go through this is Lahaina and more. People, use your resources to help heal the people and this place we all love." Peter uploaded a picture of the charred Maui seafront, writing: "Yup, everything is gone".

And, sharing an image of his backpack on the floor, he said: "This is everything I own - my passport and green card were torched along with everything else.

"I'm literally in pure devastation. I don't know how we will proceed as a community. We have all lost everything."

STORIES

Fellow Irish businessman Mike O'Dwyer said he was lucky to avoid disaster when a fire broke out near his home on Maui but the winds shifted and moved the fire away.

Mike, originally from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, owns Fabiani's Italian Restaurant and Mulligan's Irish pub in the town of Kihei on Maui's southwest shore.

He said: "Right now, it's hard coming to terms with all this.