Storm drain swallows Hawaii firefighter

WAILUKU, Hawaii — A Hawaii firefighter was critically injured when he was swept into a storm drain and carried the length of eight football fields until being dumped on the shoreline, officials said.

The accident occurred as nearly 13 inches of rain fell on parts of Maui on Friday, and weather officials warned of “unstable weather” ahead, The Maui News reported.

A crew responded to a flooded home when the firefighter was caught in a 4-foot-wide storm drain, Maui County spokesperson Mahina Martin said. He was carried about 800 yards to where the drain empties into the ocean.

Other firefighters and emergency personnel retrieved him from the shoreline and took him to a hospital. He was listed in critical condition late Friday, Martin said.

Both the firefighter’s injury and the heavy rains across Maui led the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency to urge caution as the unstable weather pattern over Hawaii could bring hazardous weather throughout the weekend.

Nearly 13 inches of rain fell in East Maui over a 24-hour period ending Friday afternoon, with other locations getting about 5 inches. The rains prompted a flood watch on the island through today and closed some public facilities.