In response to the most recent accusations that it started the terrible wildfires that ravaged Maui earlier this month, Hawaiian Electric asserted on Sunday that its power lines had been off for more than six hours before the blaze that killed at least 115 people started.
In response to a lawsuit Maui County filed against the utility company on Thursday, this is the firm’s first comprehensive denial of the claims that its machinery and downed power lines were to blame for the catastrophic wildfires that decimated the ancient town of Lahaina. Authorities are still searching burnt buildings and automobiles as hundreds of people remain unaccounted for following the fire on August 8.
In response to a morning fire that the fire department claimed to have put out, the firm asserts that its power lines were de-energized earlier in the day. This debunks a major charge that Hawaiian Electric failed to turn off the electricity at the time of heavy winds and flames.
According to the company’s statement, there were two fires on the day of the terrible inferno: one that was discovered by Hawaiian Electric employees in the afternoon and one that started in the morning. It acknowledges that the first fire was probably started by its power lines, but it claims that the second fire’s origin “has not been determined.”
Around 6:30 a.m., the first fire started. The Maui County Fire Department arrived, and they later declared it “100% contained.” When the fire was deemed to have “extinguished,” at 2 p.m., the fire department departed the scene, according to Hawaiian Electric’s statement.
When all of Hawaiian Electric’s power lines in West Maui had been off for more than six hours, the company said its workers discovered a second small fire at 3 p.m. nearby, “about 75 yards from Lahainaluna Road in the field near” Lahaina Intermediate School. The fire, which firemen were unable to put out before it spread to Lahaina, is said to have been reported by Hawaiian Electric staff via a 911 call.
Hawaiian Electric, which has been the target of at least 11 additional lawsuits following the incident, has previously declined to comment on the ongoing litigation that has arisen as a result of the fire and that has increased the criticism against the power company.
The declaration made public on Sunday was in response to a lawsuit Maui County had brought on Thursday.
“We consider the complaint to be factually and legally reckless. It is incompatible with the course that Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, believes should be taken by the resilient community that is committed and responsible to one another as well as to the future of Hawaii. “We still stand ready to work with our communities and others toward that end.”
In response to meteorological conditions and warnings provided by the National Meteorological Service, Maui County’s complaint asserts that Hawaiian Electric was negligent in failing to maintain the electrical grid before the fire or shut down its equipment. According to the lawsuit, the utility company’s “energized and downed electrical lines ignited dry fuel, such as grass and brush, causing the fires.”
Kimura added in her statement that “the county’s lawsuit may leave us with no choice in the legal system yet to show that it’s accountable for what happened that day.”
When questioned about the timeframe and Kimura’s remark, representatives of Hawaiian Electric did not answer right away.
Hawaiian Electric, or HECO as he prefers to be known, should present any evidence of a second ignition source at this time, according to John Fiske, a lawyer for Maui County. The onus of de-energizing, ensuring that its systems and equipment are kept in good working order, and preventing the re-energization of downed electricity lines is ultimately on HECO.
No one was able to comment right away from the Maui County Fire Department.
It is noteworthy that Hawaiian Electric has not made any claims about a different source of ignition for the second fire, according to Mikal Watts, an attorney who submitted a lawsuit against the utility company earlier this month detailing years of alleged negligence and claims the company did not act responsibly to the weather conditions.
Therefore, Watts claimed that he did not think the conflict between Hawaiian Electric as well as Maui County would have any ” carrying on the one core, relevant truth — Hawaiian Electric’s equipment originally sparked the fire that ultimately incinerated the historic town of Lahaina” as well as left thousands dead, injured, or homeless.
Following the blaze, Hawaiian Electric’s stock price suffered, but it recovered once the company issued a statement. Hawaiian Electric’s stock price increased to $13.86 on Monday morning after reaching a low of $9.66 on Friday trade. Just before the wildfire, it had a price of $37.36.