Firefighter dies after flood sucks him down storm drain, Hawaii officials say

Heavy rain and flash floods swept a Maui firefighter hundreds of yards down a narrow storm drain, resulting in his death, Hawaii officials told news outlets.

The incident took place about 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 27, as the firefighter helped clear a drain during heavy rain, officials told Hawaii News Now.

Flooding washed the firefighter 800 yards down the 4-foot-wide drain to the ocean, Maui Now reported. Fellow firefighters were able to rescue him from the shoreline.

“There were crews from our county public works there as well, who were able to provide quick information on what the path was for the drain, and where eventually anything flowing through the drain, the storm drain, would end up,” county spokesperson Mahina Martin told Hawaii News Now.

The firefighter, identified as Tre’ Evans-Dumaran, died Saturday, Feb. 4, at a hospital, Maui County officials reported.

“We want to thank the entire community for the outpouring of love during this time,” his mother, Chelsie Evans, said in a statement. “My heart tells me that Tre’ wants to say thank you for loving his family, his fire ‘ohana, his friends during this time.”

“We’re especially devastated by the turn of events,” said Mayor Richard Bissen, Jr., in a statement. “My heart was broken by the news.”

The National Weather Service issued flood advisories for Maui during Friday’s storms, KHON reported.

“If you go down to the shore break, let’s say on the north shore and the water is this deep and it’s sweeping across the sand, it will knock you off your feet,” NWS meteorologist Tom Birchard told the station. “So, fresh water running through a stream or through a roadway can do the same thing to you or a car.”

This story was originally published January 29, 2023 at 12:00 PM with the headline "Firefighter dies after flood sucks him down storm drain, Hawaii officials say."