Miracle Maui home that survived the deadly wildfires wasn’t intentionally fireproofed
When the deadly wildfire tore through the city of Lahaina in Maui, one ‘miracle’ house survived, and the properties around it burned down to ashes. The red-roofed house centering the social media discussions is 100 years old.
One of the worst natural disasters to hit Maui Island in Hawaii has claimed 106 lives with at least 1000 residents still missing. Most of the historic city of Lahaina was reduced to rubble but a few miracle structures are still standing. This includes the Maria Lanakila Catholic Church on Front Street and the century-old home in West Maui.
One house in Maui hasn’t burned down in the fires
The two-story house with white walls and a red roof is the only standing home in West Maui as the flames from the fires engulfed the properties around the miracle structure that appears untouched.
International University of Applied Sciences
The new images of the house seem unreal as the house surrounded by ashes and charred trees is the only thing that wasn’t consumed by the fire.
Miracle Maui home that survived the deadly wildfires wasn’t intentionally fireproofed
The owners of the house said the building is 100 years old and it wasn’t intentionally fireproofed. They were on a trip to Massachusetts when the fire started and after watching their neighborhood ablaze, the couple assumed their home would have burned down too.
Miracle Maui home that survived the deadly wildfires wasn’t intentionally fireproofed
When the aerial footage from the next morning showed their red-roofed intact, they teared up. But, the couple still feels “guilty” to be the owners of the only standing home on a block of housing.
Miracle Maui home that survived the deadly wildfires wasn’t intentionally fireproofed
Sifting through the burnt rubble and cleaning up brings health
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Red-roofed ‘miracle house’ survives Maui fires without a scratch. #Maui #Hawaii #HawaiiFires
The house on Front Street was purchased by its current owners two years ago. It used to be a bookkeeper’s house for employees of a sugar plantation, reports BBC.
The husband and wife duo renovated the house by replacing the old roof of the wooden house with heavy-gauge metal. The house was surrounded by river stones after removing the foliage around it.
The owners of the viral house, Trip Millikin and his wife Dora Atwater Millikin, did not intend to make the house resilient against fire, but the renovation seems to have worked miracles.
“It’s a 100% wood house, so it’s not like we fireproofed it or anything,” Dora said. “If it was an asphalt roof, it would catch on fire. And otherwise, they would fall off the roof and then ignite the foliage around the house,”
Most of Lahaina suffered major damages in the 2023 Hawaii fires
The most renowned restaurants and historic sites of great significance were lost in the deadly wildfire that engulfed the city of Lahaina.
Prayers for the 150-year-old Banyan tree flooded social media when videos showing the devastation on Front Street were shared by the impacted communities as flames from the wildfire continued to spread across the Island.
Locals started putting lists of missing residents together as all sorts of communication were lost and people were evacuated in large numbers from hotels and private properties due to power outages.
As Maui Island suffers unimaginable damages from the recent natural disaster, public funds through donations are being directed toward the affected communities amid ongoing recovery operations.
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