Only out for man near fire — jump

Sunday afternoon, Jim Foxboro was in his bedroom when he smelled smoke.

"I called 911, and then I opened the door, and I saw flames that must have been 30 feet high." That was kiawe burning across Honoapiilani Highway near Maalaea.

Within 90 seconds, the flames had jumped the highway, and Foxboro realized he was trapped. The only way out for him and his Australian cattle dogs, Luke and Otto, was over the cliff and into the ocean. "It was high tide."

Foxboro doesn't know how he got the dogs, who weigh about 50 and 70 pounds, out, but he did. He didn't have time to put on shoes.

So over they went, then they waded and scrambled along, with Foxboro boosting the dogs over a fallen log, to safety in Maalaea. "You know the adrenaline kicks in," he said.

Foxboro was bleeding, his toenails were ripped off, and he was battered and bruised, although he did not feel it at first. The dogs "were good. They were oblivious."

According to Maui County officials, the fire burned about 80 acres and damaged two homes before it was brought under control Monday morning. The damage was estimated at $500,000 to the structures and $100,000 to possessions, including a BMW and two motorcycles.

Police Lt. Tim Gapero said Tuesday that a cause hadn't been determined for the fire, which started mauka of the highway.

From his spot at the harbor, Foxboro watched as his house was destroyed by the wildfire. Except that, amazingly, it wasn't.

His motorcycle and his BMW, and his housemate's motorcycle, and the bedroom he had been in were all ruined. But the main house escaped.

He's thankful although he can hardly understand it. The house has a separate bedroom and lanai - where Foxboro was when it began - separated from the main structure by another lanai. Somehow, the fire jumped the main house without damaging it at all.

It smells smoky today, and at first Foxboro thought he would have to find a place to rent while repairing and rebuilding, but on Tuesday morning he learned that the water service would be turned on later in the day, and he planned to move back in.

He had moved to the oceanfront house in October, and it had been repainted just three days before.

Foxboro has lived on Maui for 16 years and was aware that there had been wildfires on the hillside above Maalaea, but he didn't think about danger from fire where he lived. "The house has been there since 1958."

He was astounded by the speed of the fire. In his quick look, it seemed to him that it started about 200 feet mauka of the highway, "up in the bushes," and was next door the next minute.

"There were no cars or anybody around" that he could see near where the fire apparently began.

The experience "blew me away. I was running for my life."

* Harry Eagar can be reached at heagar@mauinews.com.