Unbelievable Survival: House Stands Amidst Devastation in Maui’s Fire-Ravaged Neighborhood
It is the most viral image of the fires that have calcined the island of Maui, in Hawaii. A house in the town of Lahaina, one of the most affected by the fire, has been completely intact despite the fact that the entire adjoining neighborhood has been completely destroyed by the flames.
“The image appears to have been Photoshopped,” homeowner Trip Millikin told the local Honolulu Civil Beat newspaper.
Millikin, who at the time of the fires was traveling in the state of Massachusetts, had received the news that all the houses were being burned, and that his house would also succumb to the flames. Yours. Millikin told the Honolulu Civil Beat that he and his wife were “hugely excited.”. “We started crying,” he said. “We feel very guilty.”
Millikin and his wife bought the house on Fronten Street in 2021. It was a century-old building. It was in rather austere conditions when the couple bought the house. “We’d bike past the house and talk about fixing the sagging ceiling or the peeling paint. It was a real nightmare, but we saw the potential,” says Millikin.
They then began an exhaustive two-year reform, with quality materials to prevent misfortunes in case of fire.
A differential factor was replacing the plants that surrounded the perimeter of the farm with river stones.
This blocked the flames and prevented them from spreading through the compound.. “Not having any fuel in the five feet around the house is extremely important,” says Millikin.
As the Honolulu Civil Beat recounts, the sweeping reform allowed ash and debris from the other houses to burn only small patches of the estate’s lawn and lift some of the paint off one wall.
Millikin plans to use his luck to help the neighborhood community. When he can return to Lahaina, he is willing to set up his house as a community center to help people trying to rebuild their homes.
“Let’s rebuild this together, this house will become our base,” he told the local newspaper.