Hawaiian utility blames fire department for blaze

Hawaii's electric utility company said its downed power lines started the first wildfire on Maui, but blamed county firefighters who declared the fire contained and left the scene before a second fire broke out in the area.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Hawaiian Electric, or HECO, alleged that fire department's incompetence led to the destruction of Lahaina, not its own neglect.

The utility said the first fire on the morning of Aug 8 "appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds".

It said, however, the Maui County Fire Department reported it was"100 percent contained", left the scene and later declared it extinguished, only to have a second fire flare up in the same area.

HECO said the county's lawsuit accusing the utility's power lines of sparking the United States' deadliest wildfire in over a century is "factually and legally irresponsible".

"We were surprised and disappointed that the County of Maui rushed to court before completing its own investigation," Shelee Kimura, president and CEO of HECO, said in the statement.

HECO claimed it later went to the scene of the first fire to make repairs and ensured that the power lines were de-energized and the power in the area remained turned off. It said crews saw no fire, smoke or embers when making those repairs.

HECO's statement conflicts with accounts of residents who live near the Lahaina substation which was home for both blazes, as well as the findings of Maui officials, who alleged in their lawsuit that it was the earlier fire that destroyed the community.

Richard Fried, a Honolulu attorney working as co-counsel on Maui County's lawsuit, said that if their power lines had not caused the initial fire, "this all would be moot".

"That's the biggest problem," Fried told The Associated Press on Monday. "They can dance around this all they want. But there's no explanation for that."

Mike Morgan, an attorney who is in Maui to work on wildfire litigation for his firm Morgan & Morgan, said he thinks HECO's statement was an attempt to shift liability and total responsibility.