By referencing a minor fire at his home, Biden claims he understands what it's like to lose a residence while visiting Maui.

Biden reports nearly losing his wife, 1967 Corvette, and cat in a fire.
President Biden, while touring the fire-ravaged remains of Maui, stated that he understands what it is like to lose a home, recalling that lightning ignited his home in Delaware 15 years ago.

Biden stated, “I don’t want to compare difficulties, but Jill and I have some idea of what it was like to lose a home.” “About 15 years ago, I was in Washington for ‘Meet the Press. Lightning struck a small pond that was outside the house. It hit the wire and ascended beneath our home into the air conditioning ducting.

“To make a long story short, I almost lost my wife, my 1967 Corvette, and my cat,” said the president.
Biden has recalled this anecdote previously.

In November 2021, he stated that his house burned down with Jill Biden inside before attempting to rectify himself.
At the time, he spoke in New Hampshire about the bipartisan infrastructure proposal and stated, “Without this bridge, as I stated previously, it’s a 10-mile detour to reach the other side. And I know, having had a house burn down with my wife in it—she escaped safely, thank God—that having a significant portion of it blaze makes a world of difference: 10 minutes.”

He also mentioned the incident in 2013, stating that a fire “destroyed a significant portion” of his New Hampshire residence.

Lightning struck the Bidens’ home in 2004, according to an article from the Associated Press that LexisNexis has archived. According to the report, firefighters extinguished the fire within twenty minutes and prevented it from expanding beyond the kitchen.