What the wildfire stole from one Maui Latter-day Saint family

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What the wildfire stole from one Maui Latter-day Saint family
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A 7-year-old boy, his mom and grandparents tried to flee Hawaii’s deadliest wildfire in over a century, and ran into impossible challenges.

The remains of a vehicle on Aug. 18, 2023, in a burned neighborhood after the fire passed through Lahaina, on the Hawaiian island of Maui.The wind had never felt so fierce.

The gusts did not deter his mother, Faaoso, who stood outside fussing over a pot of cassava root while another pot burbled with fish stew. She liked cooking in the open air and had long ago set up a makeshift kitchen with propane burners under a tent. At about 2 p.m., Folau showered and was preparing to leave for his job as a bartender when he received word that the restaurant was not going to open. He figured that he and his kids would hole up for the day.

Salote and Tony, 7, hopped into the white Honda Civic that she had recently purchased. Her parents climbed in the back. The plan was to follow Folau and meet at his wife’s hotel. He and his wife found comfort in the Polynesian community and were active in the local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They attended socials and barbecues and spent afternoons at the congregation’s farm, tending to rows of yam plants and banana trees.

Their modest house was near the ocean on a street lush with plumeria and coconut trees, and it became a landing place for relatives who had just moved to Maui. Inside his truck, Folau did not see the fire, but he could feel the encroaching heat as he gripped the steering wheel. He started down Kuhua Street. Salote followed. The neighborhood was shrouded in gray, and wind was hurling embers, leaves and dirt in the air.

He found himself back by the fallen mango tree. Maybe, Folau thought, he could wedge his truck against the side of the fence, force his wheels over the branches and break through to the other side. “She never judged people, she tried to offer inspiration,” said her friend Tiffany Tevaga, who wrestled with alcoholism for years and spent time in prison for assault. After Tevaga turned things around and began a home business braiding hair, Salote was her right hand, booking appointments and posting advertisements.

When her son was born, Salote’s world grew smaller and more focused. Tony became her shadow, her “Boobear” and “lil mini,” and she was unabashed in her affection for him. As flames tore through the heart of Lahaina, those elsewhere on Maui had little immediate information. There she saw that the front and sides of his truck were scraped and battered. An electrical wire was tangled underneath. Liliana grabbed her and cried. Her other children and the dog were safe inside the truck.

They saw a valley of cinders and burned dreams. Most of the homes were ash and rubble, some marked only by concrete steps to nowhere. Folau’s own home had disappeared into dust, nothing left to be saved.Cars with melted tires dotted the street, their metal frames nearly unrecognizable. Survivors have deep trauma and complicated mental scars. There are those who cannot speak of what they saw. And plans to restart their lives are outlined in grief.

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