2023-08-15 02:02:00
The fire reduced the historic town of Lahaina to rubble. Many had to swim into the sea to escape the flames. For example Noah Tomkinson (19), his younger brother Milo (13) and their mother.
The family spoke to “Sky” about the dramatic day they had to endure five hours in the Pacific Ocean before they could safely return to shore.
“We kind of had in the back of our minds the whole time that we wanted to be by the water so that if things got really bad, we could jump in the sea to save ourselves. That’s exactly what happened in the end,” says Noah, adding: “If we had crossed the street, we would have been on fire.”
The 19-year-old explained that he and his younger brother snuggled up to their mother to keep her warm. “We didn’t save her, she saved us too.”
Noah believes they only got through the horror as a family. “If one of us had been alone, I don’t know if we would have made it.” Milo, the younger brother, adds: “I was just trying to survive, I was in survival mode.”
When the flames finally died down, the family decided it was safe enough to return to shore. At this point, the three had been in the water for a total of five hours.
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#Brothers #escape #fires #sea