Maui The county has taken legal action against the Hawaiian Electric Company alleging negligence for failing to cut power amid the high winds and dry conditions that occurred earlier. Devastating fire ravages Lahaina,
The fire that started on August 8 burned the historic city At least 115 people have been confirmed dead and many others are still missing. This incident is the deadliest fire incident We in more than a century.
Witness statements and video footage sparks were seen coming out of the electric wires Electric poles were uprooted due to strong winds, which could have started the fire hurricane,
The lawsuit, filed Thursday, says the destruction was avoidable and that the utility had a duty to “properly maintain and repair power transmission lines, and other equipment connected to the transmission of electricity, including utility poles, and to remove vegetation.” Keep it well.” Maintained to prevent contact with overhead power lines and other power equipment.
The utility knew that the high winds “would knock down power poles, down power lines and burn vegetation,” the lawsuit states.
“Defendants also knew that if their overhead electrical equipment caught fire, it would spread at a seriously rapid rate.”
Hawaiian Electric said it was “very disappointed that the County of Maui chose this litigation route while the investigation is still ongoing”.
“In the wake of this unimaginable tragedy, our primary focus is to do everything we can to support not only the people of Maui, but the County of Maui,” said the statement from Hawaiian Electric.
The lawsuit states that other utilities such as Southern California Edison Company, Pacific Gas & Electric and San Diego Gas & Electric have procedures in place to shut off power during bad storms and that “severe and catastrophic damage … to Could have easily been stopped.” “If only Hawaiian Electric had a similar shutoff plan.
While the power company was already facing public scrutiny many other factors that contributed to the catastrophe, The prolonged drought in the area had made plant life, including invasive grasses, highly vulnerable to fire.
As Hurricane Dora passed the coast, winds downed approximately 30 power poles in western Maui. Video evidence revealed a downed power line setting fire to dry grass, leading to the fire. The fire was brought under control by the initial efforts of firefighters, but later rekindled and winds pushed the fire towards the town of Lahaina.
As the fire raged, downed power lines and roadblocks erected by authorities brought traffic to a halt on Lahaina’s Front Street. anxious residents Tried to escape from rising flames and thick smokeSome people are even jumping into the water to avoid danger.
Search teams, including snorkel-equipped individuals, are scouring an area of 6.4km of water for signs of more bodies, while painstaking efforts continue to locate remains amid the rubble of destroyed buildings.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for damage to public property and resources in Lahaina and the adjacent Kula region.
Hawaiian Electric, a publicly traded utility responsible for 95 percent of service AirportU.S. Electric customers are facing a number of legal actions, including lawsuits from Lahaina residents alleging inadequacies and from its own investors. Forest fire Prevention measures and fraud.
Additional reporting by agencies