State of Hawaii Maui County Blames HECO For Fires In Latest Lawsuit Against Utility 夏威夷州毛伊縣在針對公用事業公司的最新訴訟中將火災歸咎於夏威夷電力公司

Add Maui County to the growing list of parties suing Hawaiian Electric, Co. for the role that the utility’s power lines may have played in the Aug. 8 fires that burned across Maui, devastating Lahaina and destroying homes in Kula.

The county filed suit Thursday in state Circuit Court seeking unspecified damages from the utility that powers most of the state. Preliminary estimates have put the cost to rebuild Lahaina at more than $5 billion.

“This destruction could have been avoided” had HECO de-energized its power lines across Maui after the National Weather Service predicted “damaging” winds that could knock down power lines, the complaint states. It also lists the HECO companies that operate on Maui and Hawaii island – Maui Electric Co. and Hawaii Electric Light Co., respectively.