(CNN) — The apocalyptic wildfires that raced across Maui have claimed at least 111 lives – a devastating number that’s expected to grow.
Among those killed: Four members of the same family who tried to escape the flames, the family said in a statement to CNN affiliate Hawaii News Now.
“On behalf of our family, we bid aloha to our beloved parents, Faaso and Malui Fonua Tone, as well as our dear sister Salote Takafua and her son, Tony Takafua,” the statement said.
“The magnitude of our grief is indescribable, and their memories will forever remain etched in our hearts.”
Also killed were Melva Benjamin, 71, Virginia Dofa, 90, Alfredo Galinato, 79, Robert Dyckman, 74, and Buddy Jantoc, 79, all of Lahaina, Maui County officials said. They are the first victims that the county publicly identified.
Two Mexican nationals also died in the Maui wildfires, Mexico’s foreign minister Alicia Barcena said. “Consular staff is providing assistance and accompaniment to their families. We express our deepest condolences in this tragic situation,” Barcena said.
The death toll in Maui is expected to increase as “many hundreds of homes” have been destroyed and search crews keep sifting through the charred remains of neighborhoods.
As more victims emerge, so do poignant tales about their lives. These are some of their stories:
An animal lover who died shielding a beloved dog
Franklin “Frankie” Trejos, 68, lived in the historic town of Lahaina for three decades before the inferno consumed his neighborhood, his niece Kika Perez Grant said.
Trejos’ longtime friend and roommate told the family he and Trejos tried to save their property before the flames overwhelmed them, Perez Grant said.
The roommate suffered burns but managed to escape the chaotic scene. But Trejos was nowhere to be found.
Hours later, the roommate called Trejos’ family again “to tell us he had found Uncle Frankie’s remains,” Perez Grant said.
Trejos’ remains were found blocks away from his home on top of his roommate’s dog, whom he loved, his niece said.
“Uncle Frankie was a kind man, a nature lover, an animal lover and he loved his friends and his families with this whole heart,” his niece said.
“He loved adventure and was a free spirit.”
A woman who ‘always looked for the good in people’
Carole Hartley, who lived in downtown Lahaina, also died while trying to flee, her sister told CNN.
As Hartley and her partner tried to escape the flames, they were separated by thick, black smoke that engulfed them, Donna Gardner Hartley said.
The powerful winds whipped by Hurricane Dora moved quickly and “kept changing,” Gardner Hartley wrote in a Facebook post.
“(Hartley’s partner) said they were inside a dark smoke (that) felt like a tornado and they could not see nothing they kept calling each others name,” she wrote.
“He was screaming … ‘Run run run Carole run.’ He eventually could not hear her anymore.”
Hartley’s partner was eventually found by his friends and treated for burn injuries, Gardner Hartley wrote.
He then organized a search group to look for Hartley, and they split up to visit shelters and share photos in hopes someone might have heard from her.
The group discovered her remains on the couple’s property over the weekend, Gardner Hartley told CNN.
Her partner believes Hartley turned back to help someone before she died, Gardner Hartley said in a statement.
“Our family has always been very close and (there has been) a strong love between us,” the statement said.
“This week has been the worse days of our life. It takes your breath away when you receive the call that your little sister’s remains were found on her property and that they are still waiting for DNA verification.”
Gardner Hartley remembered her sister as a special, loving person from a young age. The two would talk often, she said, and were always “a phone call away.”
Hartley had lived on the island for 36 years, her sister said.
“My little sister has always looked for the good in people and always helped others,” Gardner Hartley added. “She will be missed by all that knew her for her fun personality, her smile and adventures.”
A grandfather who loved music
Buddy Jantoc, 79, was living at a senior housing complex when fire swept through Lahaina, CNN affiliate KITV reported.
Jantoc was one of the first two victims that Maui County officials publicly identified.
“My papa was older, but for him to be taken from us that way, I think that’s what’s the hardest to come to terms with,” his granddaughter, Keshia Alaka’i, told KITV.
Alaka’i recalled her grandfather’s passion for music and how he cherished his time with his family.
Jantoc sang and played the guitar and drums, and even toured with the band Santana, his granddaughter said. Most recently, he played music for local hula halls.
Alaka’i spoke with her grandfather often, and will miss their phone calls, she told the TV station.
“His calls for the silly stuff. Buying things for him, ordering online because he didn’t know how to work it or, you know, fighting with his iPhone because I had bought him a new one he didn’t know how to work that. My birthday card calls,” she said, listing the things she’ll miss about her grandfather.
“He was a good man, a good grandpa,” Iola Balubar, a hula instructor who performed with Jantoc, told KITV. “Whatever time he had with his family, he treasured it.”
This story was first published on CNN.com. “4 members of the same family are among the dozens killed in Maui. Here’s what we’re learning about the wildfire victims“
