NEGLIGENCE

Maui County Sues Hawaiian Electric Over Damage Caused by Wildfires

The lawsuit accuses Hawaiian Electric Company of failing to shut down its equipment and power lines despite a red flag warning.

Maui County is suing Hawaiian Electric Company for negligence that helped wildfires ravage Lahaina and Kula earlier this month, decimating more than 2,000 structures, killing more than 115 people, and leaving more than 1,000 missing. The county’s Thursday lawsuit accuses the utility of failing to shut down its equipment and power lines despite an Aug. 7 red flag warning of high winds and dry conditions from the National Weather Service. Had it obeyed the warning, “this destruction could have been avoided,” the suit says. The complaint also alleges that downed and live power lines directly “caused the fire” by igniting grass and brush, a claim that matches witness accounts and video footage, according to the Associated Press. The suit is seeking compensation for damages to public property and resources both in Lahaina and Kula. “Maui County stands alongside the people and communities of Lahaina and Kula to recover public resource damages and rebuild after these devastating utility-caused fires,” the county said in a press release.