In light of recent extraordinary conditions presiding over Hawaii’s Maui County, officials are taking action against one of the state’s major utility companies. The county has filed suit against Hawaiian Electric, citing negligence that has led to devastating wildfires in the area.
The issues date back to February 2019, when high winds and dry conditions caused over 5,000 acres of land on the Island of Maui to become burned. The majority of the damage was attributed to four separate wildfires that unfolded during the course of twelve days.
The lawsuit claims that Hawaiian Electric failed to keep power poles in a state of proper maintenance. Faulty wiring, inadequate insulation, and compromised poles are facts detailed by the investigating team, leading to cause-and-effect relationships to be drawn between Hawaiian Electric’s lack of responsibility and the ensuing fires that ensued.
Further claims made in the case include that Hawaiian Electric has not taken the necessary steps in conducting promised repairs and using updated technology and equipment. This makes evident Hawaiian Electric’s pattern of disregarding the county’s safety regulations, which could have prevented the blaze from spreading and doing such extensive damage.
The fact is that these wildfires had a drastic impact on Maui County. Homes were destroyed, acres of land were burned, and in some cases, lives were lost. The citizens of the area have expressed their outrage in the form of protests, sparking an ongoing conversation about the actions to be taken in response.
Maui County officials stand firm in their belief that Hawaiian Electric’s negligence is to blame for the damage incurred from the wildfires. The hope is that entering into this lawsuit will not only resolve the present conflict, but prevent such disasters from happening again in the future.
