Sean and Ginny Maui Fire Relief Fund

What you see in this photo are two beautiful and courageous people who lost everything but the little pile of stuff by them in the Maui fire. I'm Christi and I'm fundraising for one of my boys, Sean Atkins, and his girlfriend, Ginny. I'd like to tell you their story of survival and love.

Sean and Ginny live in Lahaina, where Sean installs HVAC systems, and Ginny works at a popular bar, Spanky's Riptide, on Front Street. On August 8, 2023, at about 4:00 PM, Sean was finishing up work in Kaanapali while Ginny was at their home. Sean noticed a lot of smoke coming from Lahaina, and became worried about Ginny. Communication was already difficult, but Ginny was able to use a friend's phone to text Sean to tell him the fire was bad and she had to evacuate. Her message told him where she would be. Sean was determined to get to Ginny, so he used a bicycle his boss had to head toward Lahaina. On the way, Sean was diverted by police, who told him he had to turn around for the evacuation.

Using the bike, Sean tried another route to get home. He pushed as hard as he could against the 60 mph winds but had to abandon the bike. He made it to the other side of the island just in time to watch their home go up in flames, unsure of where Ginny was. By then, phone communication was already impossible.

Sean felt he knew the likely evacuation route, so he went that way to try to find Ginny. Large crowds were evacuating in his direction, clearly in a panic, and Sean had to turn around, again. By then, it was becoming dark. He began running with the panicked evacuees toward the parking lot where Ginny told him she would be.

In the meantime, Ginny was trying as hard as she could to contact Sean. In the rapid evacuation, she managed to grab Sean's laptop, camera, guitar, and stuffed panda bear, Fuzzy. Ginny evacuated to a parking lot to wait for Sean. Before getting to the parking lot, a power line fell on her car, but she made it where she told Sean she would be. She waited there for Sean. As her friends left the area, she stayed. She didn't know where Sean was, but she kept waiting for him.

By 2:30 AM, Sean was exhausted and unable to run toward the other side of the island anymore. He stopped on the beach and dug a hole behind a big log. He slept there until he had enough energy to resume making it to Ginny. The last time Sean and Ginny were in touch with each other was about 5:00 PM on the evening of the fire. Ginny continued to wait for Sean. She posted on social media and filed a missing person's report, frantically trying to locate him.

Sean made it to Ginny at about 7:30 AM. She stayed vigilant, looking for him all night. When Sean finally saw her in the parking lot, she was squinting, feeling exhausted but hopeful it was him. When they found each other, they collapsed into each other's arms.

Ginny's place of work, Spanky's, is burned to the ground, along with everything else on Front Street. The business Sean works at lost their storage facility and two or three work vans. Besides the few items Ginny grabbed for Sean, they are left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.

Sean and Ginny, along with all the other traumatized victims of the horrific fire, must rebuild their lives. I have spoken to them a couple of times. It is clear they are both in shock and trying to cope with the myriad of emotions of making it through such a tragedy. The money collected from this fundraiser will go directly to them, to help them as they navigate rebuilding their lives.

Please donate any amount. Every small donation helps. I will get every cent collected to Sean and Ginny to help them rebuild.