Public power company to pay nearly half of 4 billion dollar bill for Maui wildfire that killed 102 people
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Almost one year after the wildfire that destroyed most of the town of Lahaina, Maui, the Hawaiian Electric company is expected to pay almost 2 billion dollars of the 4 billion dollar bill for the fire for ' failure to to shut off power pre-emptively during a period of known fire danger'.
According to ABC News, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced on Friday, August 2, a $4.037 billion settlement to address the claims stemming from the devastating Maui wildfires of August 8, 2023.
The fires claimed over 100 lives, displaced thousands, and caused widespread destruction to homes and businesses.
The cause of the devastating fire that started on August 8 remains officially under investigation, but attention quickly shifted to a particular area where fierce winds had surged down West Maui’s slopes and brought down power lines operated by Hawaiian Electric.
Lawsuits have accused Hawaiian Electric of negligence, alleging that the company failed to maintain its equipment properly and did not preemptively shut off power during a known fire hazard period, unlike common practicies for power utilities in California.
Lawsuits allege that Hawaiian Electric was "negligent in maintaining equipment and failed to pre-emptively shut off power during known fire hazards', a practice common among utilities in California, the New York Times reports.
Hawaiian Electric countered by blaming Maui County for the disaster, citing failures in managing vegetation, emergency planning, and response. Some also accused the county of not sounding emergency sirens and underestimating the fire's threat level.
The initial spark ignited dry grass, leading to a small blaze that firefighters thought they had controlled. However, shortly after the firefighters left, reports came in of the fire reawakening. Fuelled by strong winds and drought-stricken vegetation the wildfire quickly spiralled out of control.
For the city of Lahaina alone, the Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimated that over 2,200 buildings had been destroyed.
Most of the affected buildings were residential and included many historic landmarks, according to an article on Wikipedia.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons License
FEMA, US Fire Administration and partners tour Hawaii fire damage. Remains of Mick Fleetwood's nightclub, "Fleetwood's on Front St.", Front Street, Lahaina, Hawaii. Governor Josh Green walks in the center.
Note from Wikipedia: FEMA photographer erroneously identifies this scene as "Wailuku" in EXIF and source URL. This is not Wailuku, it is Lahaina.
Photo by By Dominick Del Vecchio - https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7968727/federal-response-officials-tour-wildfire…, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=135927260