The Day Hawaii Caught Fire! Story

It was an ordinary day.  June 26, 1999 and Carol and I are about to depart our home in Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a trip to the island of Hawaii. My good friend Jere and I have just finished another year working at Manheim Township High School and were celebrating with a trip to our country's 50th state.  Other travelers on the trip were my wife Carol, Jere's wife Sue, Sue's sister Pat, and longtime friends Harry and Barb.  The two week vacation will take us to just about every island in Hawaii.  The first stop was to Honolulu and a visit with Carol's cousin Gary Greenly who was a medical doctor on the island.  He and I hit it off very well since he was a Corvette fan and we both had Corvettes.  He took me for a ride along the narrow, curved roads in his blue '87 Vette near his office, which was more than I had anticipated and perhaps more that I bargained for.  Our crew eventually made a stop at Pearl Harbor and had a chance to swim in the Pacific Ocean.  Another day saw our group shopping at the Ala Moana Mall.  Wasn't long before we departed for Hilo where we stayed at the Naniloa Resort.  Had fun on a trip to the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.  Also made a trip to see Rainbow Falls.  That evening we flew to Maui where we stayed the remainder or our trip at the Kaanapali Beach Hotel.  Fantastic place!  I'm sure that at this point in my story you know what is coming next.  Many of the locations we traveled to while on vacation are no longer part of Maui, having been destroyed by the terrifying wildfire that struck a few days ago.  As of the time I typed this story, there have been 80 peopled confirmed dead.  People who more than likely were residents of Maui or perhaps visitors.  If my story today had taken place years ago, I too may have been one of those killed in the destruction as might have been our entire party of friends.  But, someone was watching over us in 1999, and saw fit to allow us to return home.  The Friday, August 11 newspaper shows a horrible scene.  The photograph shows a banyan tree rising among the wildfire wreckage in the town of Lahaina.  For 150 years, the colossal tree shaded community events, including art fairs.  

It shaded townsfolk and tourists alike from the Hawaiian sun, befitting for a place once called "Lele." the Hawaiian word for "relentless sun."  Like the town itself, its very survival is now in question, its limbs scorched by the devastating fire that has wiped away generations of history.  Had that day been years ago, I too may have been part of the destruction.  The historic town of Lahaina is all but destroyed and the number dead is getting closer to 100 as you read this story.  Why did this not happen when I, and all my friends and wife, were on the island?  Lahaina, with a few exceptions, has been burned down.   

More than 1,000 structures were destroyed by fires that seemed to burn on forever.  Search and rescue teams still won't be able to reach some areas until the fire line is secure and access is safe.  I am so thankful that I had a chance to pass through Lahina a few years ago to take in it's magical wonders.  I'm so sad that it will no longer be the same place that it once was.  Here's hoping the United States sees how important this beautiful town is to all who lived there and made visits to the island, and begins rebuilding the town as quickly as possible.  It would be the proper way to honor all those who have died in the awful wildfire that destroyed this beautiful village called "Lele," the Hawaiian word for "relentless sun."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.