Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric Company on Thursday over the fires that devastated the town of Lahaina, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions.
Witness accounts and video indicated that sparks from power lines ignited fires as utility poles snapped in the winds, which were driven by a passing hurricane.
The Aug. 8 fire killed at least 115 people and left an unknown number of others missing.
Had the utility heeded weather service “warnings and de-energized their powerlines during the predicted high-wind gusts, this destruction could have been avoided,” the lawsuit said.
A spokesperson for
