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The apocalyptic wildfires that raced across Maui have claimed at least 106 lives
– a devastating number that’s expected to grow.

Among those killed: Four members of the same family who tried to escape the
flames, the family said in a statement to CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.

“On behalf of our family, we bid aloha to our beloved parents, Faaso and Malui
Fonua Tone, as well as our dear sister Salote Takafua and her son, Tony
Takafua,” the statement said.

“The magnitude of our grief is indescribable, and their memories will forever
remain etched in our hearts.”

Also killed were Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, both of Lahaina, Maui
County officials said. They were the first two victims that the county publicly
identified.

Two Mexican nationals also died in the Maui wildfires, Mexico’s foreign minister
Alicia Barcena said. “Consular staff is providing assistance and accompaniment
to their families. We express our deepest condolences in this tragic situation,”
Barcena said.

The death toll in Maui is expected to increase as “many hundreds of homes” have
been destroyed and search crews keep sifting through the charred remains of
neighborhoods.

As more victims emerge, so do poignant tales about their lives. These are some
of their stories:




AN ANIMAL LOVER WHO DIED SHIELDING A BELOVED DOG

Franklin “Frankie” Trejos, 68, lived in the historic town of Lahaina for three
decades before the inferno consumed his neighborhood, his niece Kika Perez Grant
said.

Trejos’ longtime friend and roommate told the family he and Trejos tried to save
their property before the flames overwhelmed them, Perez Grant said.




The roommate suffered burns but managed to escape the chaotic scene. But Trejos
was nowhere to be found.

Hours later, the roommate called Trejos’ family again “to tell us he had found
Uncle Frankie’s remains,” Perez Grant said.

Trejos’ remains were found blocks away from his home on top of his roommate’s
dog, whom he loved, his niece said.

“Uncle Frankie was a kind man, a nature lover, an animal lover and he loved his
friends and his families with this whole heart,” his niece said.

“He loved adventure and was a free spirit.”




A WOMAN WHO ‘ALWAYS LOOKED FOR THE GOOD IN PEOPLE’




Carole Hartley, who lived in downtown Lahaina, also died while trying to flee,
her sister told CNN.



As Hartley and her partner tried to escape the flames, they were separated by
thick, black smoke that engulfed them, Donna Gardner Hartley said.

The powerful winds whipped by Hurricane Dora moved quickly and “kept changing,”
Gardner Hartley wrote in a Facebook post.

“(Hartley’s partner) said they were inside a dark smoke (that) felt like a
tornado and they could not see nothing they kept calling each others name,” she
wrote.

“He was screaming … ‘Run run run Carole run.’ He eventually could not hear her
anymore.”

Hartley’s partner was eventually found by his friends and treated for burn
injuries, Gardner Hartley wrote.

He then organized a search group to look for Hartley, and they split up to visit
shelters and share photos in hopes someone might have heard from her.

The group discovered her remains on the couple’s property over the weekend,
Gardner Hartley told CNN.

Her partner believes Hartley turned back to help someone before she died,
Gardner Hartley said in a statement.

“Our family has always been very close and (there has been) a strong love
between us,” the statement said.

“This week has been the worse days of our life. It takes your breath away when
you receive the call that your little sister’s remains were found on her
property and that they are still waiting for DNA verification.”

Gardner Hartley remembered her sister as a special, loving person from a young
age. The two would talk often, she said, and were always “a phone call away.”

Hartley had lived on the island for 36 years, her sister said.

“My little sister has always looked for the good in people and always helped
others,” Gardner Hartley added. “She will be missed by all that knew her for her
fun personality, her smile and adventures.”




A GRANDFATHER WHO LOVED MUSIC

Buddy Jantoc, 79, was living at a senior housing complex when fire swept through
Lahaina, CNN affiliate KITV reported.

Jantoc was one of the first two victims that Maui County officials publicly
identified.




“My papa was older, but for him to be taken from us that way, I think that’s
what’s the hardest to come to terms with,” his granddaughter, Keshia Alaka’i,
told KITV.



Alaka’i recalled her grandfather’s passion for music and how he cherished his
time with his family.

Jantoc sang and played the guitar and drums, and even toured with the band
Santana, his granddaughter said. Most recently, he played music for local hula
halls.

Alaka’i spoke with her grandfather often, and will miss their phone calls, she
told the TV station.

“His calls for the silly stuff. Buying things for him, ordering online because
he didn’t know how to work it or, you know, fighting with his iPhone because I
had bought him a new one he didn’t know how to work that. My birthday card
calls,” she said, listing the things she’ll miss about her grandfather.

“He was a good man, a good grandpa,” Iola Balubar, a hula instructor who
performed with Jantoc, told KITV. “Whatever time he had with his family, he
treasured it.”

CNN’s Amanda Jackson contributed to this report.

For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at CNN.com




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One of the most traumatic experiences anyone can go through is being stuck in an
elevator. For starters, some folks suffer from claustrophobia, aka an intense
fear of closed spaces.

Others fear possibly being stuck in an elevator for an extended period without
proper resources which can be harmful to their health. In other words, some fear
the worst becoming reality.

So, when a TikTok user shared a series of three videos with a woman passing out
in a stuck elevator, folks online were upset. Here’s the 4-1-1.





A TIKTOK VIDEO SHOWS A WOMAN THAT PASSED OUT IN AN ELEVATOR.

This is where we say karma is nothing to play with. In an Aug. 13, 2023, TikTok
video, creator @furqanparekh0 shared a series of videos that show a woman
passing out in a stuck elevator in Toronto. The caption in one of the videos
mentions that the folks on the elevator didn't have any cell phone service of
Wi-Fi.

In the first video, you see a man pressing the call button on the elevator as he
speaks to building personnel. The man confronts them about failing to call the
fire department and other emergency services.

> 



“The procedure for security on site is to do that,” a woman responds on the
other end of the line. “I let them know about that and how you’re feeling. I
also let them know about the ETA and there is no ETA available. I can’t give you
something I do not have.”

The man then asks the building personnel worker to call the fire department, but
she says that they would have to wait for the technicians to arrive.

The man accuses her of not calling the fire department because of a $10,000
cost. And while the woman doesn’t discredit his statement, she says that she
“has to keep the call line clear.”

> 



In the second video, a woman in an orange outfit who was seated next to the
gentleman is laid out on the floor of the elevator on top of cleaning supplies.
She has seemingly passed out. Another man on the stuck elevator is checking her
pulse as the call function on the elevator is going off.

The people on the elevator continue to wait patiently to try and get aid for the
woman. After a while, a banging sound can be heard.

The third video — which looks like it was uploaded out of order and should have
appeared first— shows the woman in orange begging for help so she can get out of
the elevator.

> 



“I need to get out, please, please, please,” the woman says.

The man who first started talking to the building rep shares his disbelief and
says that “they don’t care.”

He also tries to speak to them about calling the fire department and the
paramedics. He tells the building rep that "even if it'll cost much more to call
the fire department, you can't be cheap now."


TIKTOK USERS ARE LIVID AND ARE CALLING FOR THE GENTLEMAN TO PURSUE A LAWSUIT.

The fact that the building personnel did nothing to try and help the folks in
the elevator while they were stuck speaks volumes. In an unusual occurrence,
viewers on Tiktok were aligned in their outrage.

“If they refuse to provide emergency services, that could be a lawsuit, I’m just
saying, I don’t know,” one person commented.




The creator also shared in the comments that after 90 minutes, the woman passed
out and they forced the building reps to call 911.

“I’ve been stuck on an elevator and I suffer from claustrophobia and have a
panic disorder. I know how she feels. 😩,” another person shared.

Judging by the videos of how this incident unfolded, all of the people in that
elevator have a strong case for a lawsuit. SMH.






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