Power company was 'substantial factor' in devastating Maui wildfires, lawsuit alleges

A lawsuit filed on behalf of five Lahaina residents is focusing on a particular player in the Maui wildfire disaster that the lawsuit alleges played a substantial role in last week's devastating fire: a local power company.

The suit says Hawaiian Electric Industries should be held accountable for “negligence, trespass, and nuisance." The utility company was “a substantial factor” in the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century that left 99 people dead, historic and cultural sites in ashes and thousands of people without homes. 

Hawaiian Electric Industries is the largest supplier of electricity in Hawaii. San Diego- and Wailuku-based law firm Singleton Schreiber filed the lawsuit on Monday.

“Everything we’ve seen indicates the power lines started the fire,” said Singleton Schreiber Managing Partner Gerald Singleton.

The lawsuit alleges that Hawaiian Electric “acted with a conscious indifference to the probable and foreseeable consequences” that led to the fires that burned over 11,000 acres on Aug. 9, and that no “public power shutoff plan” went into effect to shut down power in vulnerable areas, the lawsuit said. 

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The lawsuit said Hawaiian Electric had enough time and expertise to de-energize their power lines, especially since the company’s “aging utility infrastructure” includes wooden poles and exposed power lines. The complaint also states that the company has a history of improperly maintaining the dry vegetation around their power lines and inspecting their equipment. 

Local officials had been warned about the extreme fire risk leading up to Hurricane Dora passing south of the state. On Aug. 6, a “fire weather watch” was issued by the National Weather Service for the state. The next day, “a red flag warning” was issued for dry areas as “strong and gusty easterly winds” were expected, a recipe for rapidly spreading wildfires. 

The law firm is awaiting the utility company to respond, Singleton said. According to Hawaiian Electric’s policy, the company doesn’t comment on pending litigation. Since the company provides 95% of power to the state, the company said it is currently focused on supporting emergency response efforts and restoring any lost electricity. 

'Incredibly traumatic'

“People are very frustrated and upset, despite the fact that this is not something that took people by surprise, Hawaiian Electric knew there was a hurricane and did not take the steps they could’ve easily taken to protect people,” Singleton said. “The power wasn’t shut off, these different options weren’t employed.”

“It’s been incredibly traumatic,” he added. 

The plaintiffs include homeowners, business owners and renters who lost property in the fire and are hoping the damages can help them rebuild and recover their losses.

More and more people affected by the west Maui fires are reaching out to the law firm to file their own lawsuit, Singleton said. 

He anticipates a settlement and each person will receive a monetary amount but that a challenge is how much the utility company will be able to pay or possibly go bankrupt. 

The plaintiffs of the case were not comfortable commenting on the case but many Maui residents are unhappy with what was done to prevent and alert residents of the fires.

"There still is a lot of uncertainty, I feel on a personal level a lot of anger, I'm not a political person, I love my country, I’m proud to be American but the lack of immediate response and continued response (is frustrating)," said Lianne Driessen, a woman from Lahaina who lost her family home in the fires but is not a plaintiff in the case. "We lost hundreds of people and an entire community." 

Others recalled how the power lines were involved during the beginning stages of the fires.

Kyle Ellison, a resident of Kula who is not a plaintiff in the case, saw the fire start in his backyard on Tuesday late morning. “There’s a gulch behind our house, the winds have just been so strong,” he said on Wednesday. He saw some trees fall down and then heard a loud pop, “which we can only assume is an electrical transformer.” A minute later, he lost internet service and then smelt smoke. His house survived but all the houses around his did not.

“I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said. 

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com