Maui officials are blaming the electric company’s negligence for the horrific fires that blasted over the island earlier this month, killing at least 115 people.
According to The New York Times, Maui County filed a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO) on Thursday, alleging that “intentional and malicious” mishandling of electrical cables caused the flames that eventually turned much of Lahaina to ash.
“Defendants knew of the extreme fire danger that the high wind gusts posed to their overhead electrical infrastructure, particularly during red flag conditions,” the lawsuit said.
In response to the complaint, Hawaiian Electric stated that it is “very disappointed that Maui County chose this litigious path while the investigation is still ongoing.”
The utility, which serves approximately 95% of Hawaiians, has come under fire for purportedly promoting green energy projects while postponing fire mitigation efforts. According to The Wall Street Journal, financial documents and reports show the firm was concerned about the quality of its electrical infrastructure, notably the risk of wildfires, but allocated resources to expanding the utility’s green energy network with limited action to prevent fire risk.
Strong gusts from a cyclone 500 miles off the shore of Maui brought down roughly 30 electricity poles on the island, igniting a number of fires. The day before homeowners in Lahaina confronted the flames, video footage captured the moment a damaged power line caused a blaze in the woods.
The lawsuit alleges HECO failed “to power down their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning on August 7th.”
The lawsuit also says that HECO never created a “Public Safety Power Shutoff” plan that is “common in the Western United States.”
Shelee Kimura, the company’s president and CEO, stated earlier this week that the utility did not pursue a shutdown plan because it would be unpopular. HECO is also facing lawsuits from residents and stockholders who claim the utility was negligent, but this is the first time the local government has publicly accused the utility of the fire’s destruction, according to the Times. The flames are believed to have caused $5.5 billion in damage to Maui County.
Officials from the federal government are also being investigated for their conduct during and after the fire, which was the deadliest in modern American history.
Chief Herman Andaya of the Maui Emergency Management Agency chose not to activate the island’s emergency sirens to inform inhabitants of the catastrophic fire, stating that the emergency sirens are generally used for tsunami warnings, which encourage Hawaiians to seek higher ground, but that would have been toward the fire. After explaining his choice, Andaya quit one day later, citing “health reasons.”
The Hawaii Commission on Water Resource Management was accused of delaying a request for more water to fight the fire because it needed to talk with local farmers first. Previously, the agency was overseen by a “water equity advocate,” who was relocated to a different division after the fires.
When locals attempted to evacuate Lahaina as the fire progressed, witnesses said local authorities blocked the sole paved road out of town.
Traffic immediately backed up as inhabitants attempted to leave to the south, according to witnesses who survived the fire, but the road was shut as a crew worked on downed power lines. One family defied the blockade and swerved through the road cones, arriving safely in another town over an hour later.
“Nobody realized how little time we really had,” said Nate Baird, who drove his wife and two young sons out of Lahaina. “Like even us being from the heart of the fire, we did not comprehend. Like we literally had minutes and one wrong turn. We would all be dead right now.”
Residents were not prohibited from escaping Lahaina, according to Maui Police Chief John Pelletier.
The HI Public Utility Commission mandated green energy projects, and the utility complied but didn’t go bankrupt doing needed maintenance.
Look forward to having the power shut off on HI every time a stiff breeze is forecast, then they will get sued for not providing power without interruption.
Eventually, the state will take over the power company, and then the HI Ministry of Plenty will make any private company errors look minor.
