Lahaina wildfire traveled "1 mile per minute," governor says
Andrew Walker 
Residents that have lived on Maui for decades say they will band together to rebuild their reeling community after wildfires tore through the area.
Susan Slobodnjak, who has lived on the Hawaiian island for 31 years, told CNN she lost a friend who went back to her home to get her animals during the fire. Slobodnjak said she lives just outside Lahaina, and while her house survived the fires, she has no power and water.
“I had no idea what was going on just two miles down the road,” she said. “We had no information.”
Slobodnjak explained that everything in the area is gone, and houses and buildings are completely flattened.
“When I drove through on Friday, I had no clue what I was going through. Everything’s gone,” she said.
Brian Maher moved out of Lahaina a year ago after living there for 32 years. Maher told CNN he works with a nonprofit that helps people recover from substance abuse and the entire building burned down.
Another Lahaina resident, Blake, has lived in the area for 10 years and lost his home during the fires.
“I lost pretty much everything except for what I could grab on my way out,” he told CNN. “It was just so fast, it was unbelievable.”
The three explained how well the community is working together to help each other get through this tragedy.
“We’re going to rebuild and it’s going to be OK, but we just got to get through this tough period right now,” Blake said.
