Hawaii wildfire investigation overview:
- Who: Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura told the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that an investigation into what started a deadly August wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, could take up to 18 months to complete.
- Why: Hawaiian Electric is facing claims that its power lines were responsible for starting the deadly wildfires. No official cause has been given at this time.
- Where: The wildfire affected Lahaina, Hawaii.
The CEO of Hawaiian Electric told members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee last week that it could take up to 18 months to complete an investigation into what caused an August wildfire that swept through Lahaina, Hawaii, killing nearly 100 people.
The cause of the Lahaina wildfire has not yet been officially determined; however, the fire has led to homeowners, shareholders and victims’ families filing a number of complaints against Hawaiian Electric. They argue the company did not shut off its power in time.
Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura told lawmakers the company had shut off its power lines before the start of the Lahaina fire, after its downed power lines appeared to have started an earlier fire on the Hawaiian island of Maui on the morning of Aug. 8, according to Law360.
The fire reportedly occurred a day after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for a severe fire risk caused by dry and windy conditions on the Hawaiian island, with the winds ultimately knocking down Hawaiian Electric power lines.
CEO: Hawaiian Electric cooperating with investigators in wake of deadly wildfire
Despite telling lawmakers that Hawaiian Electric had shut off its power prior to the start of the Lahaina fire, Kimura was unable to say at what exact time power was no longer running through its lines, nor when the first line was knocked down, Law360 reports.
“We are working tirelessly to figure out what happened and we are cooperating fully with federal and state investigators, who have indicated it may take 12 to 18 months to complete (the investigation),” Kimura said, according to Law360.
Kimura reportedly told lawmakers that the company’s decision not to de-energize its power lines at the time the red flag warning was given was based on years-old protocol, something she said the company is now re-examining.
Maui County also filed a complaint against Hawaiian Electric over the Lahaina wildfire, which, in addition to being the deadliest in modern U.S. history, destroyed homes, businesses, cultural sites and 2,000 acres of land, Law360 reports.
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