4 family members die in Hawaii wildfire: ‘It’s like a gut punch’
Lahaina native Jonathan Masaki Shiroma is mourning the loss of four family members and said another is still missing.
Man loses 4 family members to Maui wildfires
FOX Live NOW spoke to Lahaina native Masaki Shiroma who lost four members of his family. Another is still missing.
The community in the tropical paradise of Lahaina, Hawaii, is only beginning to assess the damage left by a wildfire that ripped through their northwest coastal town.
Lahaina native Jonathan Masaki Shiroma is mourning the loss of four family members and said another is still missing.
"It’s like a gut punch," he told LiveNOW from FOX Saturday.
"You hear the words of devastation, and then you realize that the hometown that, as a child, (you were) playing in the cane fields and near what was the Pioneer Mill, you know, and then the hearing that family members lost their lives as they tried to leave the flames that just engulfed so quickly, and one still remained missing – it becomes so personal."
AERIAL FOOTAGE SHOWS SHEER DESTRUCTION AFTER DEADLY HAWAII FIRES ACROSS MAUI
Flames decimated the town of Lahaina. An aerial view shows the ashes and debris left behind.
( PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP / Getty Images)
‘Beyond the scope of what we can fathom’
The retired Lt. Col. with the U.S. Army has been deployed to numerous fires during his time working with the California National Guard to help provide critical updates to media, and now his hometown has been virtually destroyed.
"I've been on those wildfire coverages in California and seeing the devastation that occurs and cities burned to the ground – there's really no way to know how to respond in an emotional (way) and, quite frankly, in any type of way, because it happened so fast," he shared.
"With the magnitude of what's going on, everybody's trying to make heads or tails of what to do next. And I believe slowly but surely that that is starting to happen," he continued. "And it's just beyond, I guess, the scope of what we can sometimes fathom of dealing with things."
The fires nearly wiped out the historic town of 13,000 people and were still not fully contained Sunday night on some parts of the island.
HAWAII WILDFIRES ANOTHER BILLION-DOLLAR DISASTER, MAJOR BLOW TO STATE'S ECONOMY, EXPERTS SAY
Buildings still smolder after the firestorm that claimed most of Lahaina.
(PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP / Getty Images)
Maui County raised the number of confirmed deaths to nearly 100 on Monday, and Gov. Josh Green warned that the toll would likely rise as search and rescue operations continue.
Remembering the carefree Maui of his youth
"As we look at just the magnitude of the devastation, I think what is important is that if we can go back to those memories to really think about what this area represents and how the Hawaiian people really used this land and this area as the capital of Hawaii before it became a state," he said.
Shiroma shared pictures of the Lahaina area before the fire’s devastation. He currently lives in Honolulu and works for Hawaii News Now.
Shiroma shared a photo of the Maui of his youth, pristine and lush.
(Masaki Shiroma / LiveNOW from FOX)
"When I look back as a child, you know, before you see all the big resorts that came in, it was a very simple plantation town that I remember running in the backyard of my great-grandparents’ house. They had this huge mango tree. They had a fishpond, and the cousins would all get together.
"As we look at these images, that's what I remember – my Maui – and that's how I'm going to remember my Maui, because we were kids. We were in no shoes, and as we say, (we had) "puka holes" in our shirts and just really not caring about what we look like, but enjoying the fact that we grew up on this beautiful island."
Shiroma urged everyone to think of the warm and good memories they may have of Hawaii and to donate to the Lahaina community if they can.
You can see a list of reputable resources accepting donations here.
Maui police help collect and distribute donated supplies.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times / Getty Images)
Spirit of ohana
Shiroma also remained hopeful that the spirit of "ohana" – or family – is alive and well on the island in the midst of tragedy.
"It's amazing that in Hawaii, even in the midst of just everyday life, there's always a sense of ohana. So you may not necessarily know someone very well, but if you see someone on the street that is hungry and (you say), ‘Auntie, sister, you know, uncle, come; come eat,’ – I know that's going on over there. I know that the extension of that extended family (is happening) because family is so big on the island."