A UTRGV men’s basketball player was among those who were evacuated due to a major wildfire that’s killed 53 people in Maui, Hawaii.

“Our resort that we stayed at [was] probably two miles from it… and so we actually had to evacuate,” Isaiah Barganier said. “It was definitely a hectic situation."

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Barganier said that he and his family volunteered to help those affected by the fires.

“We had a rental car, so we were going around giving out snacks and stuff like that, just kind of being volunteers,” Barganier said. 

Barganier is now staying in Honolulu and says he expects to be back in the Rio Grande Valley on Aug. 25.