By David Fleet
Editor
Honolulu — A former Goodrich resident is about as close to a devastating wild fire as one should be.
Justin Stonerock, 27, a 2013 graduate of Goodrich High School moved to the west side of Honolulu about three miles east of Pearl Harbor on the Island of Oahu about five years ago.
Stonerock lives about 80 miles northwest of Maui in the chain of Hawaiian Islands. Since Aug. 9, thousands of residents and visitors have been evacuated from West Maui near Lahaina following massive brush fires on the island.
“We are far enough away so we did not get any of the smoke,” said Stonerock, during an interview with The Citizen on Monday. “Many people are asking for help since they lost their homes. Many businesses here in Honolulu are collecting for donations for the victims. They are going to send boats out (with supplies) to Maui. I understand the roads are packed with people there, the supplies are delivered right up on the beaches.”
More than 2,700 structures were destroyed in Lahaina causing more than $5.6 billion in damage. The death toll had climbed to more than 100 and is expected to rise over the next few days. The blaze is already the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century, according to news sources.
“A lot of people are coming together to assist,” he said. “Some from our island, like firefighters and electrical workers, are going to Maui. They are discouraging others from going there.”
Stonerock said that one of reasons he’s loved living in Hawaii is that people show up when there’s a need.
“They are super helpful toward one another,” he said. “Just recently Aloha Air Cargo began flying essentials to Maui as well as packages to those impacted free.”
Maui is not that big of an island, Lahaina has a population of about 12,000, so resources are limited, he said.
“Brush fires are somewhat common on the islands,” said Stonerock. “The day of the Maui fire, we had four of five fires on Oahu. We are always affected by brush fires, it gets pretty dry in the summer. Then once it gets dried out sparks can start a fire very easy.”
On Oahu, the brush fires are common, but due to better infrastructure than Maui and Lahaina, we are better prepared to battle those blazes, he said.
“I’ve seen many brush fires out here,” he said. “We have several fire stations close by here too. In comparison, Lahaina is somewhat secluded.”
“It’s hot and dry here,” he said. “It’s rarely cloudy, with a lot of direct sunlight. In the upper 80s, with rain happening west of Pearl about once a month.”
Stonerock is an amateur pilot and has flown to Maui.
“There were 60 mph winds that day the fires started,” he said. “I could not fly that day (the fires occurred) because there were 20 mph winds on the ground. At 3,000 feet the winds were higher. But, from what I heard the residents did not get any high-wind advisory that day. There was just no warning.”