John Fink went through two hurricanes in the house he rented at 4257-A ‘Oma’o Rd. He saw the neighborhood, and the island, change since he moved into the three-bedroom house in 1981. And he collected stuff: family items, yearbooks, over
John Fink went through two hurricanes in the house he rented at 4257-A ‘Oma’o Rd.
He saw the neighborhood, and the island, change since he moved into the three-bedroom house in 1981. And he collected stuff: family items, yearbooks, over 100 bodysurfing plaques and trophies, clothes, landscaping and farming equipment.
It’s all gone, after a fire gutted his house last week.
In an interview at the office of TGI Monday, the O’ahu-born Fink said the fire has caused him to plan on leaving the island.
“Nobody was hurt, thank God,” said Fink, but “I lost everything I had.
“I’m kind of realizing just how much I lost,” Fink said Monday. “It’s been a long, long road.”
“Something’s happening for a reason,” he said, but “it’s a tough thing to take.”
Fink returned home at about 9:15 p.m. last Wednesday to see firemen around the charred remains of his house. And he left.
“I drove around Po’ipu for about an hour,” he said, not knowing what to do. And then he went to his girlfriend’s house.
But Monday, he wanted to recognize the kindness of his community, especially his neighbors, and his cousins, Bob and Christine French, who have taken care of him since the blaze.
“The community has been really good,” said Fink, pointing to clothes given to him. They also supplied him with food and shelter.
But the proud man will not accept charity for much longer. He is applying for his visa to work in Australia for a while.
“I don’t want to be a burden to anyone,” said Fink.
He also hoped his story could be a lesson to others.
Other renters should make sure they have renter’s insurance, he said, so they could recoup something if their valuables are lost.
And keep your precious items safe.
“Put your valuables in a fire-proof box,” said Fink, adding that important papers and family pictures that can’t be replaced should be stored in the box.
The investigation into the cause of the fire is pending, said Cindy Mei Ozaki, county public information officer. A cause has not yet been determined, she said.
Staff Writer Tom Finnegan may be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) or mailto:tfinnegan@pulitzer.net.
