Maui Fire Caused by Broken Power Lines, County and US Find

The fire that razed the historic Maui town of Lahaina last year was caused when Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. re-energized broken utility lines that caused sparks to ignite unmaintained dry vegetation, the Maui Fire Department said.

The blaze was a single fire that was thought to be extinguished by firefighters but rekindled later in the day from a piece of unidentified smoldering material located in a gully on the outskirts of Lahaina, the department’s chief said at a news conference Wednesday.

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The county released the details of its official investigation into the cause the blaze, which resulted in an estimated $5.5 billion in economic damage and 102 deaths. The Maui Fire Department tapped the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to determine exactly how the blaze ignited and spread as part of its probe into the disaster.

Hawaiian Electric has said it wasn’t legally responsible for the destructive blaze. The utility acknowledged that its lines started a small fire on the day of the tragedy, but said firefighters reported putting out that conflagration. A second fire ignited in the afternoon and quickly spread into Lahaina, the utility said. Maui County and Hawaiian Electric had sued each other over responsibility for the damage.

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The Maui Fire Department and ATF determined that the fire was accidental and largely affirmed the original understanding of the timeline of events, Hawaiian Electric said in a statement Wednesday.

“We deeply regret that our operations contributed to the fire that ignited in the morning,” according to the statement. “Confronted by an extraordinary weather event and a chaotic situation, our employees brought their best efforts to their jobs, as they do every day.”

An earlier, separate report released by the Hawaii Attorney General found there were multiple factors that contributed to the devastation. It said high winds on August 8, 2023 knocked down a Hawaiian Electric power line that started a small vegetation fire near Lahaina. Firefighters thought they had extinguished that blaze, but extreme conditions and difficult terrain likely led to it flaring up again in the afternoon and burning down the town, the report said.

Shortly before the one-year anniversary of the disaster, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement in which the state, the county of Maui, Hawaiian Electric and others agreed to pay claims arising from the fires. That agreement has been tied up in a court challenge by insurance companies.

Top photo: Hawaii Electric workers make repairs to electrical lines on August 17, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii. At least 1110 people were killed and thousands were displaced after a wind driven wildfire devastated the towns of Lahaina and Kula early last week. Crews are continuing to search for missing people. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images).