Jerry Eisenberg's wife, Angela, said they should immediately leave when they realized the wildfire was bearing down on their family home near the Lahaina oceanfront.
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"Lucky she said that. I might've stayed longer. It could've been tragic," he said.
The couple and their 11-year-old grandson jumped in their car and headed out of town. A friend gave them shelter for the night and they watched the historic town go up in flames from a safe distance.
Eisenberg described the fuel dock blowing up and said most of the boats at the harbor either sank or were decimated.
Eisenberg's family lived at their home for 42 years before the devastating fires.
"My boys were born there. My grandson has been with us for eight years there," he said.
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'We'll build better, bigger' - family vows to bounce back after Maui fires destroyed home
'We'll build better, bigger' - family vows to bounce back after Maui fires destroyed home
His home and his nearby cabinet-making business were destroyed.
His sister Sandy, who lives in Agoura Hills, and other relatives were relieved to learn that the family was safe.
"It looked like a nuclear bomb flattened the area," she said.
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A friend is going to provide them with a temporary home, but they have lost everything.
"We have a pretty big family, and a big extended family, and we've all been talking... 'what can we do? What can we do?'," she said.
Relatives have started a GoFundMe account to help the Eisenbergs. Jerry moved to Hawaii in 1976 and loves living on the island.
"To live a block from the water - for a kid from Pacoima, California - it's just been a dream, you know," he said.