Hawaiian Electric said Monday that its power lines weren’t responsible for the wildfire that destroyed the town of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people, and blamed Maui County firefighters for an inadequate response, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company made the statements in a public response to a lawsuit filed last week by Maui County that blamed Hawaiian Electric, the local electric utility known as HECO, for the blaze, and sought damages for costs the local government has incurred. According to HECO, a fire that started early in the morning of Aug. 8 was caused by its power lines that fell in high winds, but that blaze was declared extinguished by firefighters before they left the scene at 2 p.m. HECO workers arrived to make repairs that afternoon and saw no smoke or embers. The utility company said that its power lines had been shut off for more than six hours before its workers, who were in the area to make repairs, saw a new fire shortly before 3 p.m. and called 911 to report it. Local firefighters, who had left after the earlier blaze was extinguished, returned but were unable to contain that second blaze before it spread toward Lahaina, according to HECO. In its lawsuit last week, Maui alleged HECO was negligent in failing to cut power ahead of the windstorm that fanned the flames which leveled the historic town. It also alleged the company failed to properly maintain its system.
