Amidst the rubble that is now Lahaina stands an oceanfront home that appears to have escaped the devastating fires that desecrated the Maui town.
The home’s owners, Dora Atwater Millikin and her husband Dudley Long Millikin III, recently made relatively minor adjustments to the $4 million home that may have been key to its preservation.
Aerial photos show the house with the red roof and gleaming white facade, still in seemingly pristine condition, in contrast to the grey, ash gray landscape that surrounds it. The death toll from the fire is currently estimated at 114 and counting.
“It’s a 100 percent wood house, so we didn’t fireproof it or anything,” Dora told the LA Times.
But the couple recently replaced the asphalt roof with a thick metal roof and reduced the foliage around the house to reduce the risk of termites spreading inside.
Atwater Millikin, 63, said none of the changes made were made with fire safety in mind – but it was those changes that ultimately saved it from ruin.
Aerial photos show the house with the red roof and gleaming white facade, still in seemingly pristine condition, in contrast to the grey, ash gray landscape that surrounds it
Dora Atwater Millikin said she and her husband recently completed relatively minor renovations that would likely prevent the major fire from destroying the home
“When all of this was happening, there were pieces of wood — six, 12 inches long — that were on fire and almost floating through the air with the wind and everything else,” she said.
“They would hit people’s roofs, and if it was an asphalt roof, it would catch fire.” “Otherwise they would fall off the road and then set fire to the foliage around the house.”
Roofs are the primary factor in a home’s flammability, as they represent the largest surface area for embers to land on.
The couple were visiting family in Massachusetts when the fire broke out a week and a half ago.
Atwater Millikin and her husband have lived on Maui for almost ten years and bought the house about three years ago. She is an artist whose paintings focus on the New England coastal landscapes, and he is a recently retired portfolio manager.
A day after the fire, the county called the Millikins family and told them their home had survived. Since then, many have called their home a “wonder house”.
News of the latest death toll was announced on Saturday. About 1,000 people remain missing – and on Friday spoke to officials who said they expect the final figure to be around 500 people killed.
Gov. Josh Green said he doesn’t want to speculate on the ultimate death toll but expects the number to continue rising by about 10 people a day over the next few weeks.
The house, which opens onto an expansive lower level and backyard on the sea-facing side, is shown here with its previous roof
On the left is the now red-roofed house along the Defiled Lahaina Coast
Aerial view of a fire truck driving through the destruction caused by the Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii wildfire
Cars and buildings marked with an “X” can be seen across the city, indicating they have been searched, but hundreds more remain to be inspected
As the dust settles on the tragedy, revealing dozens of burned buildings and charred remains, questions are being raised about Hawaii’s wildfire emergency preparedness
Searches in Lahaina continue as hope dwindles of finding survivors — around 1,300 people remain missing
The devastating wildfires burned over 2,200 buildings in the city of Lahaina, and questions have been raised as to whether Hawaiian Electric — the island’s main electric utility — received prior warning of the potential fires before the fires broke out.
The company has also been accused of failing to implement contingency plans used by other providers, such as cutting power when there is a risk of fire.
Investigators are still combing through the debris in Lahaina, and FEMA officials said Sunday they had searched about 78 percent of the affected area.
Dramatic footage captured the moment that may have started one of Maui’s wildfires. The video shows a power line failure during a storm that could have started the tragic fire.
Video captured at the Maui Bird Conservation Center near Makawao appears to show a bright flash in the forest just as ten sensors registered a significant incident on Hawaiian Electric’s power grid on Aug. 7.
Whisker Labs, a company that uses a sensor network to monitor power grids across the United States, told the Washington Post that the bright light is likely an “arc flash” that occurs when a power line “fails.”
Aerial view of people participating in a community paddling trip for victims of the Lahaina wildfires in Honolulu on August 19
A 500-person paddling trip was held in Waikiki on Saturday where Honolulu residents expressed their support for those affected by the fire
The relatively short-lived event attracted a large crowd of mourners and those seeking help
Aerial view of wildfire destruction in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. August 14, 2023. The death toll has risen to 114 and is expected to rise further
A 500-person paddling trip was held in Waikiki on Saturday where Honolulu residents expressed their support for those affected by the fire.
The relatively short-lived event attracted a large crowd of mourners and those seeking help.
“Lahaina it’s just like ground zero apocalyptic action and the smell is gross, the energy of the people was amazingly strong and resilient and I give them a lot of credit for prohibiting together in the way they are did,” said Duane Desoto, the CEO of Na Kama Kai, the company that organized the event.
FEMA director Deanne Criswell said Sunday she hopes Biden’s visit to Maui on Monday will bring a sense of “hope and reassurance.”
Joe Biden administration spokesman said the president will visit Maui Monday while he is already on the west coast for a family vacation at former presidential candidate Tom Steyer’s $18 million home.
FEMA director Deanne Criswell said Sunday she hopes Biden’s visit will bring a sense of “hope and reassurance.”
‘He is [Biden] “We will also be able to speak to people, hear their stories and provide a sense of hope and assurance that the federal government will stand by them as he has directed,” Criswell told Jonathan Sunday morning Karl from ABC.
“I think the most important thing is that he can see what I saw when I went to Maui last week and really witness the utter devastation that this city has seen,” she added.