Who is Ariel Quiroz? Maui resident's quick-thinking saved his home from burning down in Hawaii wildfires
LAHAINA, HAWAII: Ariel Quiroz, a 42-year-old resident of Lahaina, Hawaii, recently made news after successfully saving his Lahaina home from burning down to the ground amid the catastrophic Maui wildfires.
Before the government began evacuating residents on Tuesday, August 7, Quiroz followed one of his neighbors and decided to wet his house by pouring water on the property, which ultimately saved it from turning into ashes, as per the New York Times.
Quiroz and his family also kept their most important possessions, documents and beloved pets ready to leave, right before officials began evacuating Maui residents from their homes.
Dubbed as one of 'the deadliest wildfire in US history,' the death toll of Maui wildfire has reportedly jumped to 96 at the time of writing, according to NBC News.
Who is Ariel Quiroz?
Quiroz is a 42-year-old wedding painter who lives in Lahaina, Hawaii. He was one of the hundreds of residents who faced the devastating Maui, Hawaii wildfires.
According to the New York Times, Quiroz woke up around 5 am on Tuesday, August 7, to no electricity and strong winds.
He reportedly lives in a condominium complex off Front Street and eventually decided to wet his house with water to save it from being burnt down to the ground.
Shortly after, Quiroz and his wife kept their documents, prized possessions and two cats ready to leave their house, even before authorities asked everyone to evacuate around 4:30 pm on Tuesday, August 7.
How did Ariel Quiroz save his house from Maui wildfires?
On the afternoon of Tuesday, August 7, Quiroz noticed movement outside his home and saw one of his neighbors spraying his house with water while smoke clouds showed up in the distance.
Shortly after, Quiroz decided to follow the measure with the hope that wetting his house might save it from the blaze, as per the New York Times.
While driving away from the fire, Quiroz and his wife reportedly saw burning bushes and telephone poles and came across knocked down trees with smoke engulfing their area.
While speaking to the publication, Quiroz shared that noise from power lines burning "exploded like popcorn."
He also mentioned that he took shelter at a friend’s house in Kihei, about 24 miles southeast of Lahaina, with his wife and pets.
However, Quiroz returned to his home on Friday, August 11, and saw that it was still standing in its place even though homes across the street had burned to the ground.
As per the publication, the US goverment recommends people to build and renovate homes with fire-resistant materials and suggests them to find an outdoor water source with a hose that can reach any area of their property to prepare for wildfires.
Although Ariel Quiroz's home remains intact, he said that the stench from the ashes and chemicals burned in the fire has made it impossible to be occupied at the moment.
However, he has received support from the community. The wedding painter shared that people had been sending money to his family through Venmo.
"We’re very blessed and lucky. I even feel a bit of guilt to feel happy and grateful to be so lucky," he told the outlet.
Quiroz also said that he believes authorities did everything in power to provide aid but shared that the lack of communication impacted the response.
"I don’t think this system of alarms was able to work because of the winds that cut electricity," he said, adding, "There is a lack of communication."