In its statement, the utility addressed the cause for the first time. It said the fire on the morning of Aug. 8 “appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds.” The Associated Press reported Saturday that bare electrical wire that could spark on contact and leaning poles on Maui were the possible cause.

But Hawaiian Electric appeared to blame Maui County for most of the devastation — the fact that the fire appeared to reignite that afternoon and tore through downtown Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and destroying 2,000 structures.

  • flossdaily@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Unless there was some extreme negligence, I think this is just a risk we all accept for living in a modern world.

    • brianorca@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Other power companies have started replacing poles and lines to meet new safety standards. If these same lines were in California, they probably would have already been replaced. Ideally, other states should learn from the 2002 national standard and the 2018 fires and not wait until it happens in their own backyard.