A woman who escaped the Maui wildfires by running on foot died on Friday after weeks of being hospitalized.
Laurie Allen, 64, was said to have passed away “peacefully” while at the Straub Medical Center in Honolulu, her sister-in-law Penny Allen Hood wrote on the GoFundMe page set up for her and her husband, Perry Allen.
“Laurie slipped away peacefully,” her sister-in-law wrote. “Her heart was tired, and she was ready.”
A woman who escaped Hawaii’s Lahaina wildfire by running through a flaming field has died after spending more than seven weeks in a hospital burn unit. https://t.co/p7rfXDLnth
— abc27 News (@abc27News) October 2, 2023
Laurie Allen is among the 97 people whose lives were claimed as a result of the deadly wildfires that devastated the town of Lahaina in early August.
Laurie Allen was left in critical condition after she tried to help her landlord escape from their home, according to The Daily Mail. She was left with burns on 60% of her body.
“She was surrounded by Perry, Laurie’s brother Kelly and his wife Loretta, brother Dave, and her sister, Janel, who has been such a help to Perry,” her sister-in-law added on the GoFundMe page.
Laurie Allen and several others had managed to get into a vehicle to escape the wildfires until they came across a burning tree that had fallen. At that point, she ran roughly 300 feet, or 100 yards across a burning grass field, according to the Associated Press.
“This orderal touched numerous lives,” Laurie Allen’s sister-in-law continued. “For me, it was realizing how many shared concerns for Laurie – people from her childhood, her family, work colleagues, church friends, and clients at the PT Clinic she worked at. This is a reminder that we never know how much our smile or even a simple greeting can leave an impression on others.”