A family of four tragically died when flames engulfed their car as they tried desperately to escape the deadly Hawaii wildfires.
Tribute
Friends and family are mourning the heartbreaking loss of Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, their adult daughter Salote Takafua, and her son, Tony Takafua after their bodies were discovered on Thursday in a burned-out car near their home in the small seaside town of Lahaina.
The devastated family members said their grief is ‘indescribable’ as they paid tribute to the victims.
In a statement, they said: ‘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.
READ MORE: Dad dies in devastating house FIRE ‘started by e-bike battery catching alight’
‘The magnitude of our grief is indescribable, and their memories will forever remain etched in our hearts.’
The family had been long-time residents of Lahaina and on Sunday morning, community members of their town gathered at the Maui Coffee Attic in Wailuku to pray for the first time since the wildfires destroyed their town.
There are at least 2,200 buildings damaged or destroyed in West Maui and 86 per cent were residential, according to officials.
Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono, who visited the destruction, said the devastation will ‘stay with me’, she told CNN: ‘The scenes of devastation will stay with me. We are in a period of mourning and loss as we search for more people who are still unaccounted for.’
On Saturday, Hawaii governor Josh Green toured the horrendous devastation on the historic Front Street of Lahaina which was described as the ‘worst natural disaster that Hawaii has ever faced.’
