Hawaii Utility Companies Accused in Lawsuit of Ignoring Warnings Before Maui Wildfires

A lawsuit filed against a Hawaii utility company alleged that power lines that were brought down in high winds triggered the spread of the wildfire.

Burnt areas following a wildfire in Lahaina on the Maui island, Hawaii, on Aug. 11, 2023. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources via AP

A lawsuit filed against Hawaii utility companies alleges that power lines that were brought down in high winds triggered the spread of a devastating wildfire that destroyed much of Lahaina, on the island of Maui.

The firms “failed to deenergize their power lines prior to the fire, despite warnings days before that high winds from Hurricane Dora would create a ‘high fire danger,’” according to an Aug. 12 statement from LippSmith LLP, Foley Bezek Behle & Curtis LLP, and Robertson & Associates LLP, the law firms representing victims and survivors of the fire.