Even before the inferno that engulfed the Maui resort of Lahaina is fully contained, local officials and Hawaii’s leading utility are at odds over a fundamental question: Did a single fire break out in the hills overlooking the town on the fateful day, or were there two?
The answer may be crucial to establishing the cause of the disaster and the liability for it.
The utility, Hawaiian Electric, acknowledged for the first time late Sunday that its power lines, buffeted by uncommonly high winds, fell and ignited a fire early on the morning of Aug. 8.
But the company said that by 6:40 a.m. — minutes after the first reports of a fire — the windstorm had caused its lines in the area to shut off automatically.
The cause of that fire, the utility said, “has not been determined.”
Persons:
“, ”
Organizations:
Electric, Maui County Department of Fire
Locations:
Lahaina, Maui County, midafternoon