Using laughter to heal, Maui comedian shares harrowing escape from Lahaina wildfire

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - For Maui comedian Jose Raymond, laughter has helped him get through some of the toughest moments in his life.

One of those moments: Escaping the Lahaina wildfire in August.

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“Things happens to us, and you can either choose to be a victim or come on top of it, learn from it and of course, it’s tough as everybody has their own way of coping with this and grieving,” Raymond said. “Me? I’m a fighter and you get hit, I’m hitting you back.”

Raymond was born in Mexico and grew up in Watts, Calif. He moved to Maui in 2005.

Describing his most recent home of Lahaina, he chokes back tears as he remembers late nights running down Front Street with his kids and looking around at all the historic buildings and landmarks, just soaking in those moments.

“This is the best place, I can’t explain it,” he said. “Everybody knows each other. People take care of each other.”

The day the wildfires broke out in Lahaina, like most people, he was at his Kahoma Village home with his kids.

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“There was no electricity, there was no Wi-Fi signal,” he said. “The winds were just violently blowing. So you don’t really want to be outside.”

They didn’t know about the fires until around 3 p.m., when they went to Raymond’s mom’s house to eat.

“She was making ceviche, or she made ceviche because electric stoves were not going on and that’s the first time I remember smelling or seeing some kind of smoke, and my first thought was, somebody is grilling or something,” Raymond said.

“We were eating. And my daughter, she’s 11 … She looked out the window like, ‘dad, there’s a fire outside.’”

With flames moving fast, Raymond and his family attempted to drive out, but getting out of Kahoma Village proved a huge challenge. He described it as a cul de sac, with only one way in and one way out. One of the exits was blocked off by a tree and power lines, and the other was gridlocked with vehicles trying to escape.

“Just start thinking about everything you’ve learned about fires and you’re thinking, man, we’re going to pass out right now,” Raymond said. “I started watching the drivers, people screaming in their cars. And then you start seeing these little red dots fly by and you realize that those are fire embers.”

Raymond looked over and saw home burning. That’s when he made a split-second decision to drive back into his neighborhood, where he and his kids were able to stock up on water and put on masks. When they were ready, they linked arms and just ran out on foot.

“We had to run towards the smoke to be able to get out that neighborhood because I was thinking of breaking down gates and fences, but there was too many power lines down to risk it to go with the kids,” he said.

After running through pitch black smoke for up to 2 minutes, they found their way out of the chaos. They spent the next 6 hours or so searching for Raymond’s mom.

“I don’t know why you could hear so many explosions, cars, propane tanks, probably. But it was like a war zone,” Raymond said. “It’s kind of like in the movies. When you watch movies, you see the people in problems or in a situation that you think, ‘If I was there, I would do this, this and that. And I had the opportunity to live my own escape, and I don’t recommend it.”

They eventually found that his mom was safe.

Meanwhile, Raymond’s home was destroyed in the wildfire — and he’s now temporarily staying in a retirement home. But he said he feels fortunate to be able to share his experience, unlike so many others who didn’t make it out alive.

Raymond is continuing to do comedy where he can to make money for his family, but he is also wanting to help Maui through laughter. He recently did a fundraiser in Honolulu at Blue Note Hawaii and is continuing to work with the Hawaii Community Fund to raise funds for Maui.

“I’m a guy that comes from very little, so having a place to sleep is a blessing for me and it’s kind of like a bad lesson, but a good lesson as well for my kids to learn that it’s going to help them shape their future and to know to not be attached to material things, and be fortunate and be able to be more grateful for the things that do matter,” Raymond said.