Benjie Navarro was counting down the days until his flight to Hawaii.
It had been eight long years since he last stepped foot on his “paradise island” of Lahaina in Maui.
He had planned to surprise his mother on her birthday on 9 September. But four weeks before his homecoming trip, the worst wildfires the island has ever seen ripped through Maui, destroying hundreds of lives and centuries of history.
Mr Navarro, a senior nurse in an East London hospital, did not realise how bad the fires were until he saw the town centre of his home “burn to ashes” on the TV while on shift at his A&E department.
The Lahaina fires broke out on 8 August and ravaged the town of approximately 13,000 people— (AP)
“I just started crying and crying,” he told The Independent. “I’ve never experienced such devastation in my life. It’s very painful and hurtful to know the paradise I love so much is gone.”
The fires, which are now the deadliest in the US in the past century, erupted on three of Hawaii’s islands forcing visitors to flee and residents to seek emergency shelter.
The Lahaina fires broke out on 8 August and ravaged the town which has a population of approximately 13,000 people. The death toll has remained at 115 for several days, while at least 100 more are still missing.
Mr Navarro said his family “lost everything” in the fire except for the car they used to escape the blaze moments before it consumed his home.
Mr Navarro is pictured here with his mother, who he last saw eight years ago— (Supplied)
Describing the “harrowing” story of how his sister saved his family from the “raging inferno of flames,” he said: “It was around 3am when she heard a funny, raging noise.
“She opened the window and was blighted by the terrifying light of the encroaching flames. There was zero visibility when she tried to emerge. My mum is hard of hearing so she slept through the noise.”
Mr Navarro’s voice trembled as he thought about what could have happened to his mother if his sister had not been not there.
“My sister was meant to do a night shift but she called in sick because she wasn’t feeling good. If my sister had gone to work, my mum would have perished that night. She wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
The family managed to escape in their car using the burning lamposts on the street as a guide through the darkness. “It was a miracle,” Mr Navarro said.
Mr Navarro’s sister, Jeanette, her husband and children— (Supplied)
Mr Navarro was last in Hawaii eight years ago in 2015— (Supplied)
The last time Mr Navarro was in Hawaii was in 2015. He had planned a long-awaited homecoming trip for September to see his family and the town he calls “paradise” – but then the wildfires struck.
“It’s just unbelievable, it’s a nightmare,” he said.
His family is now temporarily living in a “semi-hotel” and has to drive 30 minutes every day just to collect their daily rations.
Mr Navarro’s family home in Lahaina was burnt to ashes in the fires— (Supplied)
The devastating aftermath of the wildfires in Lahaina— (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Mr Navarro’s colleague has launched a fundraiser to help support his family in Maui.
“They lost everything in the fire except for the car they used to escape. They have lost their means of livelihood, they’re jobless. They’re spending their savings on petrol to get rations and food for the kids to eat.”
Mr Navarro broke down when speaking about his return home. “I have photos from my last trip there. That was the last time I could see the beauty of that paradise. When I go there now, it will be an entirely different world from what I used to know.
“I can’t even look at the pictures of what it looks like now. It has made me depressed.”
He added: “I used to always tell my colleagues to come to Hawaii but don’t book a hotel, come and stay at our house. But it’s gone now. Just like the trees and mountains that are all unique to Maui, they may be gone forever.”
You can donate to the fundraiser for Mr Navarro’s family here.
