Biden brings up his 'small kitchen fire' story while addressing deadly Maui wildfires

US President Biden recalled a personal anecdote about his residence in Delaware while discussing the destruction caused by raging wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui. On Wednesday, the 80-year-old shared details of a minor fire that he had to deal with about 15 years ago.  

“If anybody in Maui is listening, you lost everything … and we’re doing everything we can to move heaven and earth to help you … We’ve already dedicated $24 million to the removal of hazardous material left behind in the fire’s wake … you got to take out the polluted, dangerous stuff,” he said in the White House Roosevelt Room.

“It’s going to be frustrating as the devil for people, they’re going say, ‘Why cant I go back? The storm is over, why can’t I go back to see if I can find that wedding ring, or find that album?'” he said in another gaffe, confusing the wildfires with the powerful Idalia storm that hit Florida this week. 

He then went on to reveal that lightning struck his Wilmington house years ago while he was in Washington, emphasising that he does not want to seem like he is comparing his kitchen blaze to the wildfires that have scorched Maui. “I don’t want to compare difficulties, but we have a little sense — Jill and I — what it’s like to lose a home," he continued.

What is Biden's kitchen blaze story? 

"Years ago now — 15 years ago — I was in Washington doing ‘Meet the Press.’ It was a sunny Sunday and lightning struck at home on a little lake that is outside of our home — not on a lake, a big pond. And it hit a wire and came up underneath our home into the heating ducts, air conditioning ducts. And to make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my ’67 Corvette and my cat," Biden narrated. 

BIDEN: "Lightning stuck my house ... half the house almost collapsed!"

According to a 2004 AP report, it was “a small fire...contained to the kitchen” that “was under control in 20 minutes.” pic.twitter.com/4RBlQgV9E0

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 30, 2023

However, Biden's tale does not entirely check out. At the time, local fire chief George Lamborn told the Associated Press that fire teams reached the house "pretty early" and were able to tackle the blaze in about 20 minutes. The outlet reported that it was a “small fire that was contained to the kitchen” and made no mention that now-first lady Jill Biden was trapped or injured in the incident.