What do you take? Family, pets, water and food... nothing else really matters

Mum grabbed her daughter, 11, & fled from deadly flames

- NICOLA DONNELLY

AN Irish woman living on the Hawiian island of Maui has told how she and her daughter had to flee wildfires with only their passports and a change of clothes.

Eileen Gallegos, originally from Celbridge in Co Kildare, has also told how 900 body bags were flown to the island on Friday as more than 1,000 people are now declared missing.

The fast-moving wildfires ripped through the historic city of Lahaina and so far the death toll rose to 93 at the weekend.

However, it is expected to climb even further as emergency teams start to enter burnt houses and apartments in the search for more victims.

Authorities there say it is one of the deadliest disasters in the US state's history.

Eileen, who moved to the tropical paradise island, almost 14 years ago and manages a luxury brand of photography studies at top resorts, said it was last Tuesday when they first started hearing about the wildfires.

She said: "By 8pm we could see the large fire growing about seven miles away from our house in south Maui but again did not know how serious it was.

"I pulled out the hurricane bag, passports, document folder and a change of clothes for my daughter and myself." It was around 11.30pm that night when an emergency notification came through on her mobile phone and woke them.

Eileen added: "That's when it became very real. All sorts of things go through your head but a quick look at my 11-year-old daughter and I knew staying calm was what I had to do.