DENVER (KDVR) — A Maui resident, who had traveled to the Denver metro area for a job interview, has finally found a flight home after wildfires decimated parts of the island.

Private chef John Sandbach said he flew into Denver just before the historic Maui wildfires broke out.

“The economic impact’s gonna be huge,” he said. “It’s like Colorado losing Breckenridge.”

His wife and three children were evacuated safely from the area of Kihei.

For the past couple of days, Sandbach has tried frantically to book flights with United, Southwest and even Hawaiian Airlines, but to no avail.

On Friday morning, he caught a break and was able to catch a flight home on Southwest.

“I think it’s more mourning for a place that’s sacred to me,” he said.

The catastrophe has claimed the lives of at least 67 people, officials said Friday.