What Caused Maui Wildfire: Hawaii Power Lines Suspected to Have Started Blaze

A charred apartment complex in Lahaina, Hawaii.

There’s still no official cause for the Aug. 8 fire that destroyed the seaside Hawaiian town of Lahaina, one of the deadliest wildfires in US history. But attention is focusing on whether power lines owned by Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. sparked the flames, which were fanned by winds fierce enough to knock down wires and poles. Electrical lines have a tragic history of triggering fires during wind storms, and Maui County has already sued the utility, saying fallen power lines started a grass fire that ultimately consumed the town. The company argues the county itself bears responsibility for the disaster.

We don’t know. Many things can spark a blaze when winds are strong and vegetation is dry. Wildfires have been started by cigarette butts, trucks dragging chains along a road, and in one infamous case, pyrotechnics at a gender-reveal party. But Maui County, in its suit, blames Hawaiian Electric’s power lines, and videos a Lahaina resident posted online the morning the fire erupted appear to show a downed electrical line on the edge of town sparking in the midst of burning grass. The company saysBloomberg Terminal the early morning fire “appears to have been caused by power lines” but argues that it was quickly put out by firefighters, with no smoke or flames visible when the utility’s workers arrived in early afternoon to make repairs. Firefighters had left the scene by the time the utility says its crew spotted another fire 75 yards away, which quickly spread out of control. The county also blames the utility for triggering the Kula Fire, which broke out the same day in Maui’s Upcountry region.