Parker and Karen Lahaina, Maui Fire Recovery Fund

8/24 Update

Karen and I want to start by saying we are grateful for everyone who has donated.

These days the world is filled with news about bad events, bad people, and clashing viewpoints to promote views on the 24 hour news cycle. You forget all the good and generous people who are out there. This is one of those moments where it really opens one’s eyes to all the great people that are out there. Whether you donated or shared the story of ours, it has been a powerful moment for us since the fire.

Karen, Pretzel, and I are temporarily staying in Kihei with Karen’s wonderful boss. We are still unsure of any timelines for next steps due to the complexity of the situation. Living in the middle of the ocean makes things just a tad bit harder to figure out.

Karen is currently working for the hotels still while my future employment is up in the air.

We may never return to the spot of our home. Although it is unfortunate, we look forward to starting anew somewhere else. Karen and I will never forgot our memories and moments in that home.

We are currently saving all donations for when we have an action plan in place. Possibly shipping one or two cars, replacing essential items, costs involved with finding new permanent housing, etc. In the meantime, our immediate needs have have included buying new underwear for us and cat items for our beloved kitty Pretzel.

Thank you so much for all the love and support in our time of need.

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My name is Parker Vick, this is my story about escaping the tragic Lahaina fire. My girlfriend Karen and I are raising funds to help replace some of what we have lost. While our house is gone along with all of our belongings, we are so lucky to not have lost any friends or family. Our community is reeling from this tragedy, so ANYTHING you can donate really does help with our path forward to normalcy.

I feel it is important to share my story to give people around the world a look into just how tragic this has been.

August 8th started as an extremely windy day in Lahaina on the west side of Maui. Karen had flown to Oahu for work that morning. We are fortunate that she was safe on another island. Hurricane Dora’s winds gusting over 60mph had knocked down electrical lines and cell towers, already rendering most communication to word of mouth. The power went out early in the morning hours, so I didn’t have to go to work. I went to a friend’s house on Komo Mai Street to pass the time. At around 3:15pm we spotted a small plume of white smoke a couple blocks away in the Kelawea area. By 3:25pm we saw black smoke and realized this was at least a house fire. The howling winds through the West Maui Mountains quickly turned a small house fire into the devastating inferno you have now seen across the news and social media.

Since cell service was already down before the fire started, emergency resources were unable to contact the community about evacuation protocol. The powerful shifting winds had created cyclones and by 3:47pm the fire in Kelawea was out of control. Already, traffic fleeing the neighborhood was at a standstill. Still unsure whether or not to evacuate, we decided that if they saw a structure on fire we would immediately flee the area. That decision proved to be a major mistake.

At 4:11pm we saw a house on fire just one block away and knew we had to leave.

Walls of black smoke billowed in the air, while traffic was bumper to bumper leaving the area. The constantly shifting wind had rapidly pushed the fire towards our location, flinging smoke, ash, and red-hot embers in our direction. There was no space to pull out into traffic. We thought seriously about leaving the cars behind and running for our lives to seek refuge in a canal north of the fire. Luckily a clearing appeared in the road as fleeing drivers started using the opposite lane. At 4:20pm my friends and I jumped into our respective cars and got in line to evacuate.

We were stuck in stop-and-go traffic as the fire ravaged the Kelawea area less than a block away. Smoke enveloped our cars and embers pelted us as we slowly inched out of the neighborhood. By 4:30pm the fire had spread into central Lahaina and was still rapidly growing in size as wind whipped around in every direction. After an excruciating 20 minutes to travel ½ a mile, we exited the neighborhood at 4:39pm. We were led by Maui Police to a dirt fire road headed north towards Kaanapali, but were soon split up as a group amidst the chaos and panic.

By 4:55pm black smoke and flames over 100ft high had entirely taken over the sky above Lahaina. The only noises I could hear was the howl of the wind, exploding gas tanks from abandoned cars and propane tanks. Confined to a dirt road at a stop and go pace, I eagerly inched my way north of the fire. At this time all that mattered was to get home to save my cat Pretzel and whatever belongings I could fit in the car. After 40 excruciating minutes, at 5:35pm, the fire road spat us out into a neighborhood in Kaanapali. In just under 2 hours, what had started as a brush fire in Kelawea had reached all the way to Front street along the oceanfront in Lahaina.

I got on Honoapiilani Hwy at 5:40pm and headed south as fast as possible back towards the fire to my house in the Wahikuli area. I was met with more traffic with many others trying to get into Lahaina. Unfortunately, they had already closed access to Lahaina, so I had to pull off at Canoe Beach at 6:20pm. This was the closest I would get to my house in my car. I sprinted well over a mile towards the fire in crocs just hoping my house and Pretzel were still there.

It was 6:50pm and the wind showed no signs of slowing. Flames and smoke covered most of the west side. Out of breath and frantic I was temporarily relieved that I could see the fire had not reached my block yet. Having just seen first hand how fast the fire could spread I knew I had to get in and out of my house immediately. I grabbed a backpack filled with important documents, a duffel bag with two days of clothes, and Pretzel. At 7:45pm I fled on foot leaving everything else and my house behind. I finally got to my car sweaty, exhausted, and mentally drained after outrunning the fire twice in around 3 hours.

I drove to Kahana to stay with friends that night, relieved to have escaped with my life and Pretzel. The fire burned all night and glowed as if the sun itself was in Lahaina.

The next day I was unsure whether or not the fire had reached my house, so I drove back to Canoe Beach. The road was still closed at the Lahaina Post Office, so I walked from the beach park as close as I could to my neighborhood. Three helicopters with hanging buckets were grabbing water out of the ocean and dumping them onto my neighborhood. Wahikuli was still on fire, so I decided to not go any further. While some houses were still standing, I could not see if mine was ok.

I returned the next day hoping to get a closer look, to see if my house was still standing or merely a pile of ash. The fire was mostly out by the time I arrived in Wahikuli. The National Guard and police manned every entrance into the neighborhood. I walked up to the National Guard and was fortunate they allowed me through.

My brain could not comprehend the damage to the area as I walked up the hill towards my address. The landscape was unrecognizable. Even all of the street signs were gone. I had difficulty deciphering whether or not I was on the right road. I eventually found my street and then what used to be my house.

My home in paradise had been reduced to a pile of ash and melted metal.

I broke down and sobbed. But at least in that moment I found some closure. The overbearing weight of the unknown had passed. Unlike so many, Karen and I are fortunate to have our lives, loved ones, and Pretzel.

With closure comes new beginnings, and we all have to start again from somewhere. Not only did we lose everything we own, but we are also facing steep financial costs during this transition period. If you would like to help please leave a donation to help rebuild our lives.