TRAVEL
FIGHTING THE LAHAINA BLAZE
Tasha Piccolo is a firefighter stationed on the west side of Maui . Raised in Lahaina , she traveled to the US mainland for school and lived there for about seven years until she decided to become a firefighter . She realized there was no better place to work than where she had been raised .
Piccolo was there on Aug . 7 , 2023 when fire swept through the beautiful seaside town of Lahaina .
It started with text messages that morning : there was a fire in Lahaina , she learned , as well as another , smaller blaze nearby . It wasn ' t until she began to receive calls about a second fire line , and heard that structures were on fire , that she understood that she was needed .
“ That ’ s when I realized that it was bad ,” she said . Although she was off-duty , she drove to her fire station , listening to the radio on the way and getting frightening updates . Luckily when she arrived , there was an emergency backup vehicle that she helped load with hoses and other equipment . Another firefighter joined her and they drove to Lahaina , into the heart of a blaze that would destroy her hometown and her parents ’ home , and even take the life of her uncle .
CRACKYL : Is this the biggest blaze you ' ve been involved in ?
TASHA : By far . Yeah , by far the biggest . I think it ’ s the biggest fire any of us has been a part of … and that includes my captain , and he ’ s been in the fire department for more than 20 years .
CRACKYL : I ' m sure it ' s taking time for you and your fellow firefighters to come to terms with it .
TASHA : I guess we all have our own story of that night . Personally , I never felt that I was going to die . But some of the guys on my crew thought … this was it . We had no cell service so they couldn ' t even call their families to say goodbye . Then one of our engines actually caught fire and they had to leave it and try to find a way out . I was terrified but not for my own life . Frankly , I was scared for my community ' s life and for my family . It was probably a full 24 hours before I was able to contact my parents to make sure that they got out . That was the scariest part – just not being able to communicate to make sure everyone was okay .
CRACKYL : Are you and your team beginning to heal ?
TASHA : Yes . Our department has been really proactive . From day one , they ’ ve been offering therapists … people ready to listen . Telehealth if people don ' t want to actually meet face to face . Mental health care has been huge and hopefully the healing process continues to move forward . But it ' s going to take a lot of time .
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