Biden told Maui wildfire survivors he can relate, then cites small kitchen fire from 2004

President Joe Biden is receiving backlash after suggesting he can relate to the Maui wildfires that killed over 100 people, then citing a small kitchen fire from many years ago that was under control in less than 20 minutes. Insider reported on Joe Biden's comparison, stating the following in a news report:

When President Joe Biden met with survivors of the Maui wildfires on Monday, he told them that he could relate to them because he and First Lady Jill Biden knew what it was like to lose a home to a fire.

But the fire in question was described by the Associated Press at the time as "a small fire that was contained to the kitchen," with the Delaware fire chief indicating that it was under control in 20 minutes.

During Biden's visit to Maui, where the devastating wildfires have killed at least 114 people, he made a 13-minute speech to a group of survivors in Lahaina —the city destroyed by flames, with nearly every building to ash and rubble.

"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 said, according to remarks published by The White House.