Survivors Narrate Gripping Tales of Escape as Fire Engulfs Maui

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A foreign-born cook striving for a fresh start, a widow getting ready to bid farewell, and a couple engaged in their wedding vows.

All of them found themselves in dire circumstances, compelled to evacuate as fire consumed regions of Maui, a picturesque island in the Pacific, marked by winding roads, waterfalls, turquoise waters with gliding turtles, and a looming volcano.

Here’s what the survivors have to say:

When Marlon Vasquez heard the alarms, it was almost too late.

The 31-year-old chef, in a state of panic, called out for his sibling and opened their rented Lahaina residence’s door, only to be met with a wall of intense heat and thick smoke.

“We were almost engulfed by the fire,” he recalled.

They sprinted, running through what felt like an endless nightmare. The sky turned black with smoke, occasionally revealing the sun as a red sphere. Traffic jammed the roads; people were forced into the ocean. Wind-driven flames pursued them down a mountainside, and the darkness was so thick that Vasquez became sick.

“The running seemed endless; we ran through the night into the next day because the fire showed no signs of stopping,” he recounted.

They continued along the coast until a driver took them to a shelter where they joined approximately 200 other survivors in a gym.

Vasquez’s workplace was ruined, and he managed to grab only his essential belongings.

Having arrived in the U.S. from Guatemala in early 2022, he lost everything he worked for, including his car, to the flames.

Questions and uncertainty plague him about the fate of his roommates and others. His future is unsure, but one thing is certain.

“We will persevere,” he affirmed.

Tracey Graham had planned to spend her final week on Maui celebrating the beautiful place she considered paradise. Instead, she found herself running from wildfires and sheltering, haunted by the loss.

“It’s all so surreal,” she reflects. “That’s the word I can’t escape.”

Graham was relaxing at a friend’s place north of Lahaina when she sensed the impending danger. Fleeing with her companions, she grabbed essential memories and belongings, including a cherished voice recording of her late husband.

Her escape was chaotic, and now she waits anxiously, unable to contact one of her close friends.

“It’s so unsettling,” she explains. “Nothing makes sense right now.”

Graham will leave for New Smyrna Beach, Florida on Saturday, with the wildfires hastening her planned move.

“It’s been overwhelmingly sorrowful,” she concludes.

Cindy and Bob Curler never dreamed that their wedding night would turn into a flight from disaster.

Stranded by wildfires near Lahaina, they ended up spending the night in a garage. The Pittsburgh couple shared a couch, still in their wedding attire.

Despite earlier signs of danger, they had pressed on with their elopement, only to find out later about the disaster unfolding in the town.

Their nighttime journey and realization of the destruction have left them grateful but aware that their ordeal is minor compared to what others are facing.

“Yes, it was our wedding day and night, but it’s just a single night for us,” Cindy acknowledged. “Others are affected for a lifetime.”

Contributions to this report were made by Big Big News correspondents Andrew Selsky in Bend, Oregon, and Beatrice Dupuy in New York.

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