2023-08-26 01:04:10
Maui County, located within the Hawaiian archipelago, sued the power companies for the fire that devastated the coastal town of Lahaina, leaving more than a hundred dead, local authorities reported this Friday.
In the presentation it was alleged that “the tragedy might have been avoided, if the service had been cut off in time,” according to what was indicated in the official report.
“The company and its subsidiaries are under scrutiny, following the raging fire that killed at least 115 people in that city on the west coast of the island of Maui,” the AFP news agency reported.
The suit pointed to the negligence of the Maui Electric Company, the Hawaiian Electric Company and the Hawaii Electric Light Company, as well as Hawaiian Electric Industries, “which failed to properly shut down their equipment amid severe weather conditions, despite many warnings of high winds.” due to a nearby hurricane they kept the lines active”.
“These transmission lines predictably sparked the fast-paced, deadly, and destructive Lahaina fire, which completely destroyed homes, churches, businesses, schools, and historic landmarks,” the complaint said.
“Defendants knew that the high winds predicted (by the National Weather Service) might topple utility poles, driving power lines to the ground and igniting vegetation,” the legal petition explained.
They also “knew that if their elevated electrical equipment caught fire, it would spread at a critically fast rate,” the resource added.
“Maui County stands with the town and communities of Lahaina and Kula to recover public resources for damages and rebuild following these devastating utility fires,” the county said in a release.
Hawaiian Electric director Shelee Kimura defended the decision to keep the lines active, arguing that the electricity was needed to pump water to Lahaina.
The official death toll is expected to rise when the search and rescue work is finished.
Thousands of people were left homeless as the city is expected to take several years to rebuild.
Meanwhile, federal administration calculations suggest the fire cost some $5.5 billion in damage.
1693013132
#Hawaii #county #sued #power #companies #fires #fire #caused #deaths
