A week ago, Bert Bustamante watched fire destroy his family's Ewa Beach townhouse.
Victims of a fire in
Aiea fire survivors thankful
Ewa Beach give back
to a community that
helped fill their needsBy Lisa Asato
lasato@starbulletin.comToday, he and his family of 12 have reason to give thanks to the community and to help others in need.
The Bustamantes will spend Thanksgiving Day helping their Aunty Nami Kama and others feed the homeless at Neal Blaisdell Park in Aiea.
"This is going to be my first year with my aunty, and I'm happy to help her 'cause we got a lot of help," said Aulii Mahoe, 15, eldest daughter.
"After losing my house, it made me more grateful for what I have," said Bert Bustamante, 44. "I've lost some things but that's only material things. The most important thing in my life is, I still have my family and I'm still meeting people who care, and that's what I'm grateful for."
Devastated last week by a fire that left himself, wife Roxanne and their 10 children homeless just before the holiday, Bert asked the community for help. And people -- including Campbell High School classmates he had not seen since graduation and family members he did not know he had -- responded in a big way.
"The aloha is just unreal," he said of the hundreds of calls from strangers and others wanting to donate dressers, a bed, blankets and clothes. "There were a few people who asked me what I need, and they went out and bought it."
Roxanne, who said losing her home to fire was "just like starting at square one again," was also touched."I'm just filled with sadness because of what happened in our situation, but I'm filled with happiness because there are people out there that care," she said. "I feel I only can find it in Hawaii."
And so today, on the national day of thanks, the family plans to repay the aloha by helping others.
Mahoe said the outpouring of support came just as she is about to celebrate her 16th birthday on Saturday. She was particularly grateful for a new radio donated by a man named Alvin, saying, "I would like to thank him for bringing me a radio, because a radio is important to me."
The family had just settled into its new townhouse when fire caused by a child playing with a lighter left them homeless.
Things started to turn around for the Bustamantes earlier this week.
On Monday, Bert and Roxanne found a new place in the same complex where they had lived. The next day, Bert's boss called him back a month early for his seasonal job as an EK Fernandez ride operator, saying, "It's best for you to come back to work just to get your mind occupied."
Roxanne said students at Pohakea School, where six of the Bustamante children go to school, brought gifts by the bagful.
"When my husband took my kids back to school (Tuesday), he was bombarded with children saying how sorry they are, what happened to us," she said. "They came with toys and books and school supplies. There's even more at the school waiting for us."
The Bustamantes plan to have Thanksgiving lunch with family at the Ewa Beach home he calls "the gathering place."
It is also the home of his sister Dyann, her husband and five children. They will be sharing their living quarters with the Bustamantes, who hope to move into their rental place by Christmas.
Looking at the events of the past week, Bert said: "Words cannot express what I feel because at the time of the incident, my emotions just went with that fire ... went up in smoke. So I was just traumatized. But today I feel (like a) different person. But it took for me to lose something to be able to gain it all back.
"From this day on, it's all forward."
Toshi Murakawa feels he has a lot to be thankful for, even though a fire heavily damaged his Aiea home. Aiea resident thankful
no one hurt in fireAn unattended candle burned
the family home Tuesday nightBy Nelson Daranciang
ndaranciang@starbulletin.comThat's because Murakawa, his wife and their three daughters escaped without injury Tuesday night.
Honolulu Fire Department officials offered to refer Murakawa to the American Red Cross for assistance with temporary lodging and clothing. Murakawa refused. He and his family are staying with relatives.
"We always see family during Thanksgiving and the holiday season. This makes me realize that it's more important," the 37-year-old Murakawa said.
His wife, 40, and daughters, ages 17, 12 and 3, took the day off from work and school yesterday to buy new clothes. Their clothes did not burn in the fire but were damaged by smoke and water.
Fire investigators went back yesterday to the three-story home at 99-745 Holoai St. to survey the damage and determine its cause. They reduced their earlier damage estimate to $75,000 from $125,000 for the structure and to $34,000 from $40,000 for the contents.
Investigators also confirmed what the Murakawas' 12-year-old daughter had told them: that the fire started in her first-floor bedroom when she left a scented candle unattended.
"The candle was on, according to her, and she just stepped out to go to use the restroom," Murakawa said. "She was about to go back to her bedroom when the fire alarm went off."
That was about 10:30 p.m., Murakawa said. The candle had ignited the bed and spread quickly, he said.
Murakawa got everybody out of the house, then woke up the neighbors, who called 911. They even sprayed water on the outside of the bedroom with garden hoses, Murakawa said.
The first of eight fire engine companies arrived at 10:45 p.m. and had the fire under control within a half-hour. It was extinguished by midnight.
Murakawa's wife received treatment for smoke inhalation. Damage from the fire was limited to the first floor.
Murakawa said a firefighter told him had the fire burned for another one or two minutes, it would have burned the entire house.
