Maui County today sued Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc and its subsidiaries, including Maui Electric Co., alleging civil damages from the deadly Aug. 8 fires in Lahaina and in Kula.
The lawsuit in Second Circuit Court claims Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries acted negligently by failing to turn off power to their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service “red flag warning” issued Aug. 7, the day before the wildfires exploded.
The lawsuit also claims Hawaiian Electric’s energized and downed power lines ignited the fires by sparking dry grass and brush.
The lawsuit also accuses HECO of failing to maintain its systems and power grid, leading to three different Maui fires on Aug. 8.
Hawaiian Electric is a for-profit, investor-owned utility that trades publicly on the New York Stock Exchange serving 95% of Hawaii customers everywhere but Kauai.
So far, the death toll from the Lahaina fire remains at 115.
The fires in Lahaina and Kula burned over 3,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,200 structures — most of them residences — and caused at least $5.5 billion in damage.