Hula dancers swayed to the ocean waves on a South Carolina beach, all paying tribute to a hometown hero who died saving seniors in the midst of the Maui wildfire in Hawaii.

Joe Schilling had moved to downtown Lahaina recently, where he lived in an apartment building that was caught up in the fires which devastated the town last week.

"From what we know, when Joe started to evacuate, there were elderly people in his community who were stranded," said Joe's sister, Penny Schilling.

"He helped an elderly woman to escape and she is the one who verified what happened," said Schilling.

Apparently, Joe had gone back into the building to help another 4 senior Maui citizens who were unable to leave. He collected them in his apartment where he sent a text message to Penny saying he was trying to keep the smoke out.

The luau on Surfside Beach, SC helped raise money for those impacted by the fires, and for Americans looking to chip in, there are several organizations that are doing work there including the American Red Cross, the Kākoʻo Maui Fund organized by The Hawaiian Way, and Hawaiian Community Foundation.

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