Palm Desert man has more than 50 family members in Lahaina who survived Maui Wildfires

Despite the loss and devastation, there are amazing stories of survival out of maui.

We spoke to Palm Desert native, Erik Schumann who has more than 50 family members living in Lahaina, who were able to escape the fires.

"'The kids are on one side of the island, your sister is on one side. And then for your mom, we can't find her.' But thank god, they were able to locate her," said Schumann.

Schumann lives in Palm Desert, but a big part of him resides in Lahaina, Maui. 

He got married there, and more than 50 family members, spanning four generations survived the deadly Maui wildfires. 

"The main part where they live was right up Lahainaluna which was one of the main streets that takes you right into Front Street within a mile walk to the coast," said Schumann.

Seven family homes, belonging to his mother, siblings, aunts and uncles all burned to the ground. 

"My brother helped rebuild his house and put a lot of hours, and labor, and love into it to, just see it all be burnt to a crisp within minutes," said Schumann.

He received dozen of videos from his family capturing the chaos. 

"It was heartbreaking. It was very surreal, it was very hard to see Lahaina and the way it is. Especially from personally witnessing the history behind it," said Schumann.

While the fires were racing through Maui, his family couldn’t get a hold of his mother. 

"She got turned around and lost in the fire, and found herself in the middle of the outlets mall in Lahaina...She ended up just sitting in the parking lot for eight hours watching Lahaina burn down around her," said Schumann.

He adds that, "She sat there prayed and was just wishing for the best until the next morning when the fires were done, she was able to meet up with my niece and my nephew," said Schumann.

Those nieces and nephews were rescued by the Coast Guard before reuniting with his mom at a shelter. 

"They were in the waters for about six hours until finally the Coast Guard was able to come and rescue them," said Schumann.

His family taking it day by day until they figure out what’s next 

"It is still very fresh with them trying to figure out what to do you know how the insurance companies are going to settle for the fire as well which is making things even more stressful on their end," said Schumann.

Their resilience and family bond, stronger than ever.

"The biggest thing for them you know, is to stay together as a community, the Maui community is very strong," said Schumann.

You can find more stories we've covered out of Maui below:

Maui victim who escaped Lahaina shares ties to the Coachella Valley

Valley businesses and organizations fundraise for those who survived Maui Wildfires

Valley businesses organize ‘Kokua Maui Fundraiser’ to help wildfire victims

‘Unimaginable for Hawaii’ Local resident speaks out about wildfires ravaging Maui

Palm Desert man evacuated during vacation as fires ravaged Maui

A look at the Maui wildfires through the lens of a local woman