Teen brothers share story of survival after jumping into ocean with mother during Maui fires

BROKE OUT. TONIGHT WE'RE FINALLY HEARING FROM SOME OF THOSE SURVIVORS DIRECTLY. THEY'RE SOME OF THE MOST TERRIFYING IMAGES FROM THE FIRES, DESPERATE PEOPLE RUSHING INTO THE OCEAN, THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE THE FLAMES. >> WE'RE IN HERE. WE'RE IN THE OCEAN. >> Reporter: THE 19-YEAR-OLD NOAH WAS ONE OF THEM. >> [ BLEEP ] SCARED. >> Reporter: ALONG WITH HIS 13-YEAR-OLD BROTHER MILO. >> YOU'RE GOING TO BE OKAY, MILO. >> Reporter: AND THEIR MOTHER. >> BOTH SIDES LEFT AND RIGHT ARE ON FIRE. WHITE SMOKE STARTING TO COME, MEANS THE FIRE IS STARTING TO DIE A LITTLE. >> HOW DID THE IDEA TO RUN IN THE OCEAN HAPPEN? >> WE HAD IT IN THE BACK OF OUR MIND THE WHOLE TIME THAT WE WANTED TO BE NEAR THE WATER, IF IT GOT BAD, SAVE OURSELVES JUMPING INTO THE OCEAN. THAT'S WHAT IT CAME TO. IF WE WALKED ACROSS THE STREET WE WOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE FIRE. >> WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, LITTLE GUY SEEING ALL THIS CRAZINESS IN FRONT OF YOU. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE? >> JUST IN SURVIVAL MODE. THAT'S IT. >> Reporter: THE THREE WAITING FOR HOURS. DID IT GET TO A POINT YOU WERE SCARED? WHEN ARE WE GETTING RESCUED? >> YEAH, THEY WERE TAKING A REALLY LONG TIME. COULDN'T GET TO US, ALL THE CARS WERE BLOCKED OFF. WE WERE TRAPPED IN THE OCEAN. >> I DIDN'T THINK WE WERE GOING TO GET RESCUED. I THOUGHT WE'D HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL DAYLIGHT AND SWIM OUT MORE TOWARDS SAFETY. >> Reporter: DESPITE HIS FEARS, NOAH KEPT THE FAMILY CALM. >> YOU'LL BE OKAY, DON'T LOOK AT THE FIRE. LOOK THIS WAY. THIS WAY. IT'S GOING TO BE OKAY. IT'S ALL RIGHT. >> Reporter: THEY WAITED WELL INTO THE NIGHT, FLAMES BURNING ON LAND JUST BEYOND THEM. AND WHEN THEIR MOTHER STARTED GETTING TOO COLD -- >> ONE POINT WE ALL HUDDLED AROUND HER TO KEEP HER WARM, RUBBING HER ARMS TO CREATE WARMTH FOR HER. >> Reporter: HAS SHE TALKED TO YOU AND THANKED YOU FOR BEING BY HER SIDE? >> WE DIDN'T SAVE HER, SHE ALSO SAVED US. IF ANY OF US WERE ALONE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE WOULD HAVE MADE IT. IT WAS THE FACT WE WERE ALL TOGETHER THAT HELPED US THE MOST. >> JUST ONE OF THE FAMILIES IN MAUI. SHOWS YOU THE RESILIEN

Channel: NBC News

Views: 456,485

Keywords: Health, International News, Lester Holt, Making A Difference, NBC Nightly News, National News, News, Nightly News, U.S. News, breaking news, evening news, politics, world news

Id: Gtte0mlpiuk

Length: 2min 47sec (167 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 13 2023