CNN –
The Hawaiian Electric Company said power lines that collapsed in high winds appeared to have caused a fire early in the morning on Aug. 8, but power lines in West Maui had been dead for more than six hours when a second afternoon fire broke out in the Lahaina -Area.
That was expressed in a new response to a Maui County lawsuit on Sunday.
In a lawsuit filed Thursday, Maui County alleged that electric company HECO “inexcusably kept its power lines live” in early August despite the National Weather Service issuing a high wind warning and a fire warning.
The energy supplier states that the cause of the fire had not yet been clarified in the afternoon. The afternoon fire eventually escalated into an inferno that killed at least 115 people and damaged or destroyed more than 2,000 buildings.
In a press release, HECO mentioned videos showing power lines falling in strong winds near the intersection of Lahainaluna Road and Hookahua Street at around 6:30 a.m. But that morning, the Maui County Fire Department said the fire was 100% contained as of 9 a.m., they said.
HECO’s press release then states: “After the fire was extinguished, responders from Hawaiian Electric arrived at Lahainaluna Road on the afternoon of August 8th to carry out repairs. They saw neither fire nor smoke nor embers. All lines to Lahaina remained dead and all power in the area went off.”
Just before 3 p.m., with the power still off, HECO said its crew members saw a small fire about 75 yards off Lahainaluna Road in the field near the Intermediate School. They immediately called 911 and reported the fire, the release said.
When the Maui County Fire Department returned to the scene, they were unable to contain the fire and it spread out of control toward Lahaina, the release said.
In a statement to CNN Monday, John Fiske, the attorney representing the county of Maui in the lawsuit, said, “To the extent that HECO has information regarding a second source of ignition, HECO should present that evidence now.” Ultimate responsibility rests with HECO, the stream off, ensuring its equipment and systems are properly maintained, and ensuring that failed power lines are not energized.”
CNN asked Fiske for clarification on why he thinks Hawaiian Electric has information about a second source of ignition, but didn’t immediately receive a response.
Shelee Kimura, HECO’s President and CEO, said, “We were surprised and disappointed that the County of Maui rushed to court before completing its own investigation. We consider the complaint to be factually and legally irresponsible. It is at odds with the path we believe we should be taking as a resilient community, committed and accountable to each other and to Hawaii’s future. We remain ready to work with our communities and others toward this goal. Unfortunately, the county’s lawsuit in the legal system may leave us no choice but to demonstrate its responsibility for what happened that day.”
Kimura also said there are important lessons for all to learn from this tragedy and “we are committed to figuring out what we need to do to keep our communities safe as climate issues rapidly worsen here and around the world.” We invite others to do the same to us.”