Deadly Maui fire arose from earlier fire believed to be out, investigation finds

Honolulu (AP) –– The wildfire that killed at least 102 people on Maui last year originated from an earlier wildfire that firefighters believed they had put out and was caused by downed power lines, authorities confirmed Wednesday as they presented their findings. about the cause of the tragedy.

It has long been known that the August 8, 2023, fire — the deadliest in the United States in more than a century — originated in the afternoon in the same area as the one that started early that morning. Driven by strong, erratic winds, the fire tore through the historic city of Lahaina, destroying thousands of buildings, sweeping away people trapped in their cars and forcing some residents to flee toward the ocean.

It was unclear if the fire was a flare-up of the one that broke out in the morning after firefighters spent hours putting it out or if it was another fire. The answer is important to answer the unknowns about responsibility for the destruction, although a provisional agreement was reached for US$ 4 billion.

In presenting their findings, officials from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Maui Fire Department did not address the issue of liability, but found that it was a recurrence of the fire. tomorrow.

The rekindling of the fire was most likely caused by strong winds that blew undetected embers into the dry ravine, they said.

A Hawaiian Electric power line went down early in the morning on Aug. 8, sparking a brush fire near the city line. Fire crews responded and remained there for several hours until they believed the fire was out. After leaving, flames were spotted again and although firefighters quickly returned, they were unable to cope with the wind and flames.

Communication between police and firefighters was patchy, mobile phone networks were not working and emergency services did not activate emergency sirens that could have warned residents to evacuate. Power lines and poles had fallen in many places in the city and police blocked some roads to protect residents from potentially dangerous power lines. Emergency responders also had trouble getting a firm response from Hawaiian Electric representatives if power had gone out in the area.

Blocked roads contributed to a traffic jam that left fleeing people trapped in their cars as the flames spread. Others died in their homes or outside while trying to escape. The death toll surpassed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, which left 85 dead and destroyed the town of Paradise.

In the months since, thousands of Lahaina residents have sued various parties they believe are to blame for the fire, including Hawaiian Electric, the County of Maui and the state of Hawaii. The defendants often tried to blame each other: Hawaiian Electric claims the county should not have failed to address the first fire, and Maui County maintains the power company failed to take proper care of the power grid. Who exactly was responsible for clearing brush and maintaining the area has also been a point of contention between the defendants, along with the company’s lack of a public safety power shutoff schedule.

A few days before the one-year anniversary of the wildfires, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement. That’s the amount defendants (including Hawaiian Electric, the state, Maui County, large landowners and others) have agreed to pay to resolve the claims.

But the settlement is in court, awaiting a decision from the Hawaii Supreme Court on whether insurance companies can sue the defendants separately to recover what they paid to policyholders. Lawyers for people seeking compensation fear that allowing insurance companies to sue Hawaiian Electric and other companies will undermine the settlement, deplete what is available to pay fire victims and lead to protracted litigation.