A court in Hawaii, USA, received a class action that accuses the largest electricity distributor in the archipelago, Hawaiian Electric, of having caused the fires that killed 93 people on the island of Maui.
According to local press, the lawsuit was filed by three law firms representing people affected by the fires in Lahaina, the former capital of the archipelago and one of the most popular tourist areas in Hawaii.
The lawsuit argues that Hawaiian Electric, which supplies electricity to 95% of the state, “inexcusably left its power lines operational during anticipated high fire risk conditions.”
“The destruction could have been prevented if the defendants had heeded warnings from the National Weather Service. [norte-americano] and shut off power to its power lines during the expected high wind event” several days before the fires started, the lawsuit states.
The practice of shutting down power lines for public safety is common in parts of the western United States during high fire risk conditions, as these lines have been the cause of several fires, especially in California.
When the fires broke out on Tuesday, August 8, and the island of Maui was left without electricity and telecommunications, Hawaii’s alarm system, the largest in the world, did not activate, authorities admitted.
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez announced Saturday that she will conduct a “thorough investigation” into the authorities’ response to the disaster.
Hawaiian Electric said in a statement Sunday that it has restored power to 60% of customers who had been without power since Tuesday and has about 300 people on the ground to restore power to remaining customers.
The company, which did not comment on the lawsuit, said there was extensive damage to parts of the electrical system that distributes power to communities and that the system “is still fragile,” forcing workers to proceed with caution.
Hawaiian Electric conceded that there could be “intermittent blackouts” and urged Maui residents to try to conserve electricity and limit its use.
Two of Maui’s three fires are still burning, according to the latest report taken Sunday by the county, which has so far only been able to verify the identities of two of the 93 confirmed victims.
The Local Police stressed that the process will be long since genetic or dental control is required.
Official entities predict that as searches continue in the devastated areas, more victims will be found.
The governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, estimated the material losses at about six billion dollars (about 5,500 million euros).
These fires are the deadliest in the US in more than 100 years.
Source: TSF
