Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary electric utility company, has acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui that morning.
One caller said cars were being routed into a gated parking lot and were forced to turn around.
A third caller told dispatchers they needed to open a road on the south side of town, warning that the blocked exit would result in people dying.
One dispatcher told a caller stuck in traffic that emergency workers were busy “because Lahaina has a couple of house fires going on right now.”“If you’re safe, you need to stay there,” she said.
Associated Press writers Lisa Baumann in Seattle; Chris Keller in Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, contributed.
Persons:
”, “, “ It’s, Alana Pico, Hale, cinders, we’ve, ‘, We’re, Mahina Martin, ” Martin, ” ____ Lauer, Johnson, Lisa Baumann, Chris Keller, Claire Rush
Organizations:
Associated Press, Electric, Hawaiian Electric, Flames, Maui Police Department, AP, Lahaina Civic
Locations:
LAHAINA, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina, Philadelphia, Seattle, Boone, Boise , Idaho, Albuquerque , New Mexico, Portland , Oregon