Mia Tyler Describes Devastation in Maui After Fleeing Vacation: 'It Was Way Worse Than What You Saw on the News'

Mia Tyler was vacationing in Maui when the deadly wildfires engulfed the Hawaiian island, and she's now sharing her first-hand account of the devastation.

On Saturday, after posting an Instagram Story update that she and her son Axton, 6, managed to get a flight out of Maui, the Rush Hour 3 star, 44, followed up with an emotional message on her grid.

Alongside a photo of the destruction on Front Street in Lahaina, Tyler wrote, "I don’t know where to start. Halfway through our vacation on Maui we got news that a horrible fire had started an hour north of us. I don’t need to tell you what happened next. All I can say is, it was way worse than what you saw on the news and online."

The daughter of Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler went on to describe the devastation she witnessed. "Many people and animals have lost their lives. Homes destroyed. Sacred buildings burnt to ashes. Thousand of locals and tourists displaced. And the horrors those people had to see and experience," she continued.

She said the situation left her feeling hopeless. "Trying to keep my family and friends safe was all I could do. We were in a sacred paradise and could do nothing," she explained, adding that they managed to get a flight home late on Friday night.

Tyler then made a passionate plea for people not to travel to Maui but to instead donate money to relief efforts. "PLEASE DO NOT TRAVEL TO MAUI, as the hotels are helping to home the people of Maui. The island needs to heal and does not need tourists taking up valuable resources right now," she wrote. "The only thing we can do is donate to these wonderful people that need us the most right now. Please help. Any penny helps."

"I pray this land heals and comes back stronger like it always does," she concluded her somber message.

As rescue efforts continue in Maui, the death toll continues to rise. Maui County reported that the number of fatalities in Lahaina rose to 80 as of 9 p.m. local time on Friday, up from 67 deaths reported earlier that day. The total cost of damages from the Maui wildfires is estimated at $1.3 billion, according to a preliminary estimate by CoreLogic.

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Firefighters are still fighting blazes and extinguish flare-ups in Lahaina, upcountry Maui and near Pulehu and Kihei, the county said in its latest news release. More than 1,400 people have evacuated Lahaina and taken up residence at emergency evacuation shelters at War Memorial Gymnasium and other shelters across the island. President Joe Biden approved the state of Hawaii’s disaster declaration on Thursday, allowing additional federal funding to become available for people impacted throughout the area.

As more images and footage of the decimation of the Hawaiian island are released, many people — including celebrities — are stepping up to help. On Friday, Lauren Sánchez and fiancé Jeff Bezos pledged $100 million to Maui. The journalist, 53, made the announcement on her personal Instagram account, saying she and Bezos, 59, are "heartbroken" about the devastating wildfires.

"We are thinking of all the families that have lost so much and a community that has been left devastated. The immediate needs are important, and so is the longer-term rebuilding that will have to happen — even after much of the attention has subsided," Sánchez wrote. "Jeff and I are creating a Maui Fund and are dedicating $100 million to help Maui get back on its feet now and over the coming year as the continuing needs reveal themselves."