Hawaii County Sues Power Company Over Deadly Wildfires

Maui County is suing Hawaii electricity company over the deadly fire that leveled Lahaina. It alleges the destruction could have been avoided if power lines had been shut off.

The lawsuit is the latest step in a growing critical focus on the power provider in the wake of the blaze. This blaze has killed at least 115 people, with videos showing downed cables setting fire to vegetation in the hours before tragedy struck.

The lawsuit says there was plenty of warning of strong winds from a nearby hurricane. However, Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries negligently kept power lines live.

“These power lines foreseeably ignited the fast-moving, deadly, and destructive Lahaina Fire. This destroyed residences, businesses, churches, schools, and historic cultural sites,” the lawsuit, filed Thursday, says.

“Defendants knew that the high winds the National Weather Service predicted would topple power poles, knock down power lines, and ignite vegetation.

Defendants also knew that if their overhead electrical equipment ignited a fire, it would spread at a critically rapid rate.”

The county, which is itself under pressure over what critics say was a lack of preparation ahead of the fire and a lackluster response in its aftermath, is demanding unspecified damages and compensation for the destruction.

Power companies in California routinely shut down large stretches of above-ground power lines in strong winds. This is a strategy credited with helping to avoid some blazes.

On August 14, Hawaiian Electric boss Shelee Kimura defended the decision to keep the network live. She said electricity was necessary to keep water pumping in Lahaina.

The August 8 fire was the deadliest wildfire the United States has seen in more than a century. It burned through around 2,000 acres (800 hectares). It also laid waste to the historic town of Lahaina, a former Hawaiian royal seat and a thriving tourist hub.

Flames, fanned by powerful winds, moved so quickly that many residents were caught unaware. They only learned there was a fire when they saw it for themselves. Some abandoned their cars as they tried to flee the town and sought refuge in the ocean.

The official toll is expected to rise as a grim search of the ashen remains of Lahaina is completed.