A 10-year-old boy was swept roughly 200 yards downstream by swift water at ʻĪao in Wailuku on Sunday, before bystanders and firefighters pulled him to safety along the banks of the Wailuku River. He had no visible injuries and was handed over to Emergency Medical Services personnel for evaluation once crews reached him.
According to Maui Now, fire officials said the boy entered fast-moving water and was carried downstream at around 12:21 p.m. He was located on the riverbank already being assisted by bystanders, and firefighters helped the boy and the others climb up the steep stream bank to reach solid ground. KITV Island News similarly reported that Maui Fire Department crews rescued the boy after he was swept downstream at ʻĪao Stream, with firefighters navigating the steep embankment to bring everyone to safety.
Maui Fire Department Units on Scene
Maui Fire Department units on scene included Engine 1, Engine 10, Hazmat 10, Rescue 10 and a battalion chief, per the same Maui Now account. Emergency crews concluded their response at 12:57 p.m., roughly 36 minutes after the boy was first swept into the current. KITV's report noted that no further information had been released about the circumstances at the time of publication.
A Familiar Danger Spot for Swimmers
ʻĪao and the surrounding Wailuku River have a documented history of swift-water emergencies. In October 2024, Maui firefighters responded to a flash-flooding rescue in which a girl was secured in a life jacket and pulled from the bank by rope, as reported by KITV; a second call came in that same day for a man stranded elsewhere in ʻĪao Valley, with no injuries reported among the rescued or the crews.
In January 2025, three teenage girls became stranded in rising water at the Wailuku River in ʻĪao and had to be airlifted to safety by Rescue 10 personnel aboard the department's Air 1 helicopter, Maui Now reported at the time, with no injuries reported and crews wrapping up that response at 4 p.m. The pattern stretches back at least a decade: in July 2016, fire rescue crews airlifted an 11-year-old Paukūkalo boy and his father from the same river after he was swept in, and he was rescued unharmed.
