Firefighter sucked into storm drain remains in critical condition, officials say

KIHEI (KHNL/Gray News) - A firefighter in Hawaii who was sucked into a storm drain and swept out to sea remains in critical condition, officials said Monday.

The firefighter, 24-year-old Tre Evans-Dumaran, is in the ICU at Maui Memorial Medical Center.

Evans-Dumaran was injured Friday during heavy rains after officials said he was sucked into a storm drain near Waiapo Street.

He was then carried by storm waters approximately 800 yards to where the drain emptied into the ocean.

Maui County officials said Evans-Dumaran is showing signs of improvement, but isn’t out of the woods yet. A GoFundMe has been established to help the family with expenses.

“We are grateful and humbled by the support of our community and send our deepest appreciation to everyone,” said Fire Chief Brad Ventura in a news release.

Ryan Lund, a Kihei resident, told KHNL he didn’t see the incident, but he did capture a photo of firefighters and county public works employees working to clear out a ditch that was overflowing at around the same time Evans-Dumaran was swept away.

“They were in the gulch, in the mud, about waist deep,” Lund said. “I’m really sorry for the kid that got swept out to sea ... it’s just sad that someone’s trying to help and then he pays almost the ultimate price for it. It’s pretty sad.”

Nico Bonilla didn’t witness the incident either but saw the firefighters working hard to stop the area from flooding.

“The current through here was heavy. It wasn’t like something sitting still, water sitting still. It was flowing. You could see it in turmoil. It was like a washing machine,” Bonilla said.

On Monday, there were three culverts in the ditch. Two of the three culverts had gratings covering them.

County officials confirmed to KHNL the grating was removed from the third culvert to allow for debris to get through and avoid blockage. They also said the culvert without the grating was where Evans-Dumaran got sucked into.

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