A mother and daughter hailing from Maui, Hawaii, conveyed their appreciation to a man who assisted in their rescue while they fled from a swiftly advancing wildfire.
Lani Williams and her mother, Sincerity Mirkovich, residents of Lahaina, Maui, faced imminent peril as wildfires rapidly neared their town.
Along with numerous others, they entered their car, aiming to escape the encroaching fire, as they shared on “Good Morning America” during a recent segment.
“Embers are already falling down on us,” Williams explained to the show’s hosts, “so we get in the car and then, already, traffic is at like a standstill.
“Then we see another fire on the side of us, a whole house,” continued Williams. “We’re in the car and a whole tree is on fire, and I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to die.’”
The urgent circumstances compelled the women to consider a different way to escape: leaving their vehicle behind, climbing over a seawall, and leaping into the ocean.
Leaving the car behind and attempting to flee posed a considerable obstacle for Mirkovich, who depends on a walker to move around.
Benny Reinicke, a compassionate individual, saw their distress and extended a helping hand. He guided Mirkovich to lean on him, ensuring her safe passage over the seawall.
“He’s like, ‘Trust me. Trust me. I promise. I got you,’” Williams said, adding he did. “He said, ‘Auntie, put your weight on me. I got you.’” The three floated eight hours in the ocean until returning to shore seemed safe.
A report dated August 9 by Breitbart News emphasized that numerous residents of Maui sought safety from the encroaching flames by entering the ocean.
Although Williams and Mirkovich temporarily lost touch with Reinicke, the three of them were brought back together on the morning talk show.
“There’s no way morally I could just walk past that and just save myself, you know,” Reinicke remarked. “It’s just not hard. It’s just the way my algorithm is in my head is. No way.”
Reinicke’s selflessness resonated with many social media users.
“True American HERO!” commented one user, “Thank you!!!”
“What a wonderful caring man!” remarked another, “Thank God you’re all safe.”
