Local couple vacationing in Maui caught in the midst of Hurricane Dora and wildfires
WASHINGTON, Pa (KDKA) -- A local couple was vacationing in Maui, less than a mile from where the wildfires broke out.
It's a place the LaSalvias hold close to their hearts, the place they said "I do." Seeing the devastation firsthand was heart-wrenching and they say all they can do is pray it survives.
Dino and Julie LaSalvia were staying at a resort just outside of the historic town of Lahaina. LaSalvia says he was on the treadmill in the early morning hours of Aug. 9 when the power suddenly went out.
He said the winds were picking up, but figured it was just coming from Hurricane Dora, which was looming nearby.
It wasn't until later that day LaSalvia and his wife saw the plumes of black smoke over Lahaina. For the next three days, the couple remained at the resort with limited food and fearing the worst while local residents who were displaced from their homes poured into the lobby.
LaSalvia said he saw people with only the shirts on their backs crying, people who were burnt, and pets wandering aimlessly.
On Thursday, the couple decided to walk the mile on the beach from their resort to Lahaina and saw the devastation firsthand.
"People were just laying along the beach. We didn't know if they were alive or dead. There's a rocky area. A man ran up to us crying and showed me his cat and he said, 'I saved my cat.' I found it was alive."
"The area along the front street that we could see was like a bomb hit it. There was nothing."
The LaSalvia's were married in Maui and say it will always hold a special place in their hearts.
The couple already booked a trip to the island in March and say they're still going.
Once there, they hope to help rebuild the island they love anyway they can.