LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A Las Vegas resident born in Lahaina flew to Maui to reunite with family and help where he can.
I spoke with him about the devastation he has seen and what is left of the town where he grew up.
Jai Alboro arrived in Maui yesterday afternoon, seeing the aftermath of the fire for the first time in person.
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"It's still so surreal. I, I can't. I can't believe how it looks. Everything's burnt to the ground. A lot of people are still unaccounted for. It's it's it's sad," he said.
I interviewed Alboro over Zoom at a condo near Lahaina where his family is staying.
He sent me a video taken as he was arriving on the island. It shows what is left of his grandmother's house.
Just a week before the fire broke out, he was sitting on the red benches shown on the video, hugging his grandmother.
After learning about the fire breaking out, he was worried that hug would be his last memory he'd have of her.
"I got a lot of relief off of myself just because I got to hold her and kiss her."
Alboro is thankful his entire family was able to make it out safely, but he feels for those who did not.
As the death toll rises past 100, I asked Alboro if he thought there were more people in the community who have lost their lives.
"A lot more. A lot more. I'm here now. I'm here now and no, I hate to say it. A lot of children are unaccounted for. A lot of people know a lot of people are looking for family and looking for the older folks," he said.
Alboro says even with the devastation on the island, the Ohana spirit is alive and he says he's helping to distribute an overwhelming amount of donations coming in from all over.
"We're going to have to stick together for a long time and support everybody for a long time to make it to the finish line for this."
