USA: Maui sues power company over deadly wildfires

(Patria) - Maui County is suing the Hawaiian electric power company over the deadly wildfire that engulfed Lahaina, alleging that the destruction could have been avoided if power lines had been shut off.

The lawsuit is the latest in a growing critical focus on the electricity supplier after the fire, which killed at least 115 people, with video footage apparently showing downed cables igniting vegetation in the hours before the tragedy unfolded.

The lawsuit alleges that there were ample warnings about strong winds from a nearby hurricane, but that Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries negligently kept power lines energized.

"These power lines predictably ignited a fast-moving, deadly and destructive fire in Lahaina, which completely destroyed residences, businesses, churches, schools and historic cultural sites," the lawsuit states.

"The defendants knew that the strong winds forecast by (the National Weather Service) would topple utility poles, bring down power lines and ignite vegetation. The defendants also knew that the fire would spread at a critically fast rate if their electrical equipment ignited," reported AFP.

The county, which itself is under pressure over what critics say was a lack of preparedness ahead of the fire and a weak response afterward, is seeking unspecified damages and compensation for the destruction.

Utilities in California routinely shut down large portions of overhead power lines due to strong winds, a strategy credited with averting some fires.

Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura on August 14 defended the decision to keep the grid operational, saying that electricity was necessary to pump water in Lahaina.

The August 8 fire was the deadliest wildfire the United States has seen in more than a century.