‘Nasu-suffocate na kami’: Fil-Am recounts escape from Maui wildfires

A Filipino-American family thought they were going to die when they made their escape from the wildfires that have devastated the Hawaiian island of Maui.

"Pagka-open pa lang ng pintuan namin, ramdam na namin yung init sa mukha," June Carlo Santos said in Jonathan Andal's report on "24 Oras Weekend" on Sunday.

"Pag-escape namin akala talaga katapusan na, mamamatay na kami...nasu-suffocate na po kami nung nag-e-escape kami," he added.

Santos said that propane tanks from nearby houses were exploding as they went past. "Nakaka-trauma," he said.

Fortunately, Santos and his family made it out and are now staying at the hotel where he works. However, nothing is left of their home.

Many Filipinos are still unaccounted for in the wildfires that have killed at least 93 people on the island of Maui, in what authorities are saying have been the deadliest wildfires in the US in more than a century.

Hawaii Governor Josh Green warned at a press conference on Saturday afternoon that the death toll would continue to increase as more victims were discovered. Dogs trained to detect bodies have covered only 3% of the search area, Maui County Police Chief John Pelletier said.

Interviewed on Super Radyo dzBB on Sunday, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said that none of the fatalities has been confirmed as Filipino so far.

He said there were 25,000 Filipino-Americans in Maui, comprising 17% of the island’s population. In total, 200,000 Filipino-Americans are living and/or working in the state of Hawaii. 

The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu also said concerned families in the Philippines may get in touch with it via 24/7 emergency hotline (+1 808 253 9466), email (honolulu.pcg@dfa.gov.ph), or Facebook page. They may also reach out to OFW Help on Facebook for assistance. — BM, GMA Integrated News