Hawaii Wildfires: Apple's Emergency SOS feature saves trapped family

San Francisco: Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature has miraculously saved a family of five caught in a wildfire spreading across the region of Hawaii in the US.

According to a user on X (formerly Twitter), five people, who were trapped in a vehicle surrounded by the fires in Maui (an island in Hawaii), used iPhone 14's Emergency SOS to communicate with first responders as there was no cell service available at their location.

The user also shared a screenshot of the entire Emergency SOS text chain, showing the local fire department and dispatchers in action.

The family was found at the Outlets of Maui, a shopping mall in Lahaina near the fires.

In the text thread, the family's current location was transmitted to the dispatcher, and they were able to communicate that they are surrounded by fire with no visibility and no way out due to blocked roads.

Firefighters were able to reach the family and safely evacuate them within 30 minutes with the help of the Emergency SOS via the Satellite feature.

Last month, the Emergency SOS via satellite feature on the iPhone helped to save two tourists who got lost in the mountains of Italy.

During an outing in the Apennine Mountains, the hikers got lost in an area without a cellphone signal. Luckily, they had an iPhone 14 which provided them the option to call for help via a satellite text message. They were then rescued by the local fire department.

With inputs from IANS