Survivors of the devastating Maui wildfires have alleged that authorities blocked the only paved road out of Lahaina to stop people from escaping the town as it was overcome with flames.
According to a report from the Associated Press, survivors are claiming that the road was barricaded to prevent people from fleeing the burning town.
Maui has been destroyed by the massive blaze, with Lahaina taking the brunt of one of the deadliest wildfires in modern American history.
So far, 115 people have been confirmed dead.
Between 800 and 1,000 people are still unaccounted for.
Maui Police Chief John Pelletier said during a news conference that residents were not prevented from fleeing Lahaina, but accounts from some of the survivors suggest they were hindered from making a quick escape because of the decision to close the Honoapiilani Highway and a bypass at the south end of town.
Witnesses who survived the blaze said that traffic quickly backed up as residents attempted to flee to the south.
But authorities said the road was blocked as a crew worked on downed power lines.
One family ignored the barricade and swerved past the cones placed in the road, making it safely to another town nearly