Maui fire fighter dies after sucked into storm drain and swept to sea, Hawaii
A fire fighter in Hawaii was critically injured Friday, 27 January 2023, after being sucked into a four-foot wide storm drain and swept to sea during heavy rains. 24-year-old Tre’ Evans-Dumaran was helping to clear out the storm drain near Waiapo Street in Kihei when he was sucked in. He was then carried about 800 yards by storm waters to where the drain emptied into the ocean.
Officials said the fire fighter was tracked to where the storm drain would end up and he was pulled out minutes later. He was found unresponsive but gained his pulse back after medical personnel performed CPR on him. The fire fighter was taken to Maui Medical Centre, where he remained in critical condition. He remained in intensive care at the Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he showed some improvement earlier this week.
The family confirmed the death of 24-year-old Tre’ Evans-Dumaran Saturday.
His mother, Chelsie Evans, wrote in a statement, “We want to thank the entire community for the outpouring of love during this time. My heart tells me that Tre’ wants to say thank you for loving his family, his fire ‘ohana, his friends during this time. He’d want people to keep giving blood, to keep doing your part as a hero, in the way he lived every day on Earth.”
Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin said that a crew was responding to a flooded home in Kihei on 27 January 2023 when Evans-Dumaran was caught in the storm drain.
Maui Mayor Richard Bissen offered his condolences to the family and said the community is “devastated” by the loss in a statement. “Every day our emergency responders put their lives at risk to help others, looking out for the community they serve,” the statement read. “This is a reminder of that risk and the courageous work they do for all of us.”
Maui County Fire Chief Ventura said in a statement that support for the fire fighting community on Maui has been pouring in from around the islands and the globe. “We’ve all felt the depth of aloha and it makes all the difference,” he said. “Tre loved being a firefighter and he loved those he worked with. Serving the community came naturally to him because he was so happy to serve people.”