A 79-year-old Filipino was among the over 100 fatalities in the wildfires that struck Maui in Hawaii, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said the fatality was identified as Alfredo Galinato, a naturalized US citizen originally from Ilocos.
“The DFA confirms the death of a Filipino national in the Hawaii wildfires,” De Vega said in a message to reporters.
“The Philippine Consulate in Honolulu is assisting the family who are all based in Hawaii,” he added.
As this developed, three Filipino teachers—Heidee Gudao, Maria Christina Espina, and Angelic Gallario—who have earlier been reported missing not only survived the wildfires but were also lauded for heroically rescuing an elderly neighbor.
“We found him carrying just a pillow and a flashlight,” Gudao said of the elderly man they rescued.
“I asked him what he brought and what clothes he had. He said he only had his clothes on. He had no belongings,” she added.
The elderly man is now with his family in California.
Espina expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support from the Filipino community.
“The Filipino community here in Hawaii is hospitable. They are concerned about us. We’re the first Filipinos to become teachers in Maui, so they’re concerned about us,” she said.
The Maui Filipino Chamber of Commerce earlier reported that hundreds of Filipinos were among the more than 1,000 missing in the wildfires that started last week.
The Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu said it was receiving a rising number of calls and emails inquiring about the status of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans missing due to the wildfires.
“Queries received by the Consulate requesting assistance in locating missing individuals and family members have increased,” Consul General Emilio Hernandez said.
There are 200,000 Filipinos living in Hawaii, 60 percent of whom are American citizens, according to the DFA.
The wildfires raged the dry grasslands into the historic resort town of Lahaina last Tuesday, turning block after block into ash.
While the cause of the fire has not been determined, many survivors said they went unwarned before the inferno rapidly swept through town.
Some people were forced to dive into the Pacific Ocean to escape the flames.
With more than 100 fatalities, the fire is one of the deadliest US wildfires in more than a century. As officials work to identify the deceased, stories about those who perished have emerged from loved ones.