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Local business owner, Clay County firefighter stepping in to help recovery efforts after deadly wildfires in Maui

A business owner who once lived in Jacksonville and a local firefighter are doing their part to help Maui, Hawaii recover after the devastating wildfires that ripped through the island.

On Aug. 8, wildfires started spreading in Lahaina. Ali Roden, the owner of Slappy Cakes Maui, -- like others -- began recording what she saw.

She wanted to get to a gas station to call her employees.

“As I was driving there I saw the fire and it actually tripled in size and jumped across the highway in front of me,” Roden said.

So, Roden turned around and went back home and canceled work for the day. While at home, she watched as the fire turned black and knew it was more than a typical wildfire, so they evacuated to a friend’s house.

“We had no power, no cell service, no sirens, no traffic lights. Nobody knew what was going on,” Roden said.

The next day, they opened their business to feed anyone in need including locals and tourists until all the food was gone.

As locals are working to recover, first responders from Florida like John Long with Clay County Fire Rescue, and his K9 Cable are operating with the Florida Task Force 1 and the Miami Dade Fire Department, on the front lines looking for those that didn’t survive.

Long is also a former Jacksonville Fire and Rescue firefighter.

“K9 Cable is a recovery dog in the FEMA system and he finds others that are lost during a disaster such as this. I worked with Cable during the surfside collapse in Miami,” Long said.

Cable finds people that may be deceased and Cable’s dad, Stone, finds people that may be alive.

John Long, K9 Cable and Stone (Special to WJXT)

The 35-year veteran firefighter, says the devastation in Maui reminds him of when he did similar work in Surfside.

“I see the same pain that I saw there from the families I see the same long-term effect that they are going to have,” Long said.

Long believes and sees that things are getting better, and the love from his family motivates him to keep going during these difficult times and tragedy.

“I am so proud of them but they have been my rock to be able to do things like this they worry about me and I worry about them while I am gone,” Long said.

As the recovery process continues, those living through this natural disaster hope that people do not forget about them and the struggles they are facing for many months ahead.

Roden created a GoFundMe to raise money for employees that have lost their homes and can’t work because their restaurant can’t get the food supply it needs to reopen.

The sister restaurant in Portland, Oregon is also donating 100% of its proceeds to the Maui restaurant.


About the Author
Jenese Harris headshot

Veteran journalist and Emmy Award winning anchor

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