Oprah Winfrey Praised for Opening Private Road to Help With Maui Fire Evacuations

Oprah Winfrey
Steve Granitz/WireImage

Fans have been sending plenty of love to the entrepreneur after a brush fire broke out on the Hawaiian island on Thursday.

Oprah Winfrey is being praised for her help in Hawaii.

Fans have been sending plenty of love to the entrepreneur after she opened the private road on her property in Maui in order to help residents of Maalaea and parts of Kihei escape a brush fire that broke out Thursday.

Shortly after news of the fire broke, people began tweeting Winfrey to see if she could share her gate code, which would allow residents to evacuate the area on the Hawaiian island quickly and safely.

"@Oprah there's a huge brush fire on Maui right now! People are trying to evacuate Kihei-my husband and son included!" one person tweeted. "If you would kindly share the code to your gate/road, folks can evacuate through Kula."

"@Oprah Maui is on fire consider opening the ranch road so we can get upcountry," another tweet read.

Winfrey was quick to respond, writing, "Hi there Jack. Access to the road was given to county officials immediately. This was many hours ago. Hoping for the safety of all."

The tweet was well-received by Lady O's followers, who wrote things like, "Of course it is, because you’re awesome and always prepared to do for others," "Mahalo for opening the road...All of Maui appreciates it," and "Of course Oprah comes thru with the clutch."

CBS News reported on Friday that the fire, which officials say started along Kuihelani Highway, has forced thousands to evacuate their homes. An evacuation notice was sent to the cell phones of residents in the town of Maalaea and in parts of Kihei, a Maui County official told the outlet.

"We are asking everyone to conserve energy, conserve water, and do what you can to be prepared," Maui Mayor Mike Victorino said. "If you need to evacuate, please be aware of what's going on around you."

For more on Winfrey, watch the video below.

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