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.

  • brianorca@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Here in California, they started using insulated wire for all of them a few years ago after a big fire in 2018. They recently replaced a bunch of poles near me and I’m not even in a brush area. I guess it’s not as much priority in the Midwest, but Hawaii should have followed California’s lead.