6 families now living under one roof after Lahaina fire
By Mika Miyashima
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WAILUKU, Hawaii (KITV) — One Waiehu family has taken in multiple family members who lost their homes to the fire in Lahaina.
Thousands of people have been displaced by the Lahaina fire. One Maui woman took in five of those families – now all living under one roof.
“We have a family members of 23, five households burnt down to the ground,” Ella Tacderan told KITV4.
Aunties, uncles, cousins, and kids now sleeping side-by-side on futons, couches – inside the house and in the garage after escaping the fire in Lahaina. They are all separately making their way to the Waiehu home where Tacderan and her family of nine live.
“Like my cousin, her mom. Worked not knowing if she’s OK. And then her dad sat through the fire overnight. He’s right here. We don’t know how he doing really. He sat through the fire, waiting for his wife, not knowing that she’s fine. But then he ended up coming the following day because he didn’t know how to get in touch with his wife,” Tacderan said.
The family is living off canned goods and food cooked by the community.
“We usually have more cots here. They’re underneath the other cots so we can have more room. And then every day we’ve been eating. It’s like a big Filipino party,” Tacderan said.
“Being a survivor right now, but we have to accept. But this is life now,” Juvilyn Glinoga told KITV. “My family are living off of these black rubbish bags here. This is where they’re getting their clothes. ‘Cause they don’t have anywhere to put them at this time.”
“The living space here where they would sit down and with the cots and we have all of our donations there and water,” Tacderan said.
Inside the home has over a dozen futons across the rooms.
“They put away their futons every day but we could fit about 14 of us here. And we have one bedroom there,” Tacederan explained.
The family is grateful for the church right across the street, which opened up its parking lot for the family to park its cars.
Brysen Aguiran, who lost his home to the fire, spent his 16th birthday helping haul away a broken refrigerator.
“Unfortunately, our refrigerator broke in the midst of everything on Wednesday,” Aguiran said.
Resources are scarce and shipping could take months. But despite this unthinkable tragedy, there’s gratitude to be alive, and together, to celebrate the little things.
“Happy birthday, dear Braxton. Happy birthday to you!” the family cheered – a brief moment to escape from the new reality.
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