Maui sues Hawaiian Electric, claiming it is responsible for wildfires

Maui County has filed a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric and other utilities on the grounds that they are responsible for the start and spread of the devastating wildfires that left more than a hundred dead.

The civil damages lawsuit against Maui Electric Company, Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO), Hawaiʻi Electric Light Company, and Hawaiian Electric Industries alleges that the defendants "acted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment" even though the Weather Service had issued a red flag warning.

The complaint also claims that downed and energized power lines from HECO were the ones that ignited dry fuel, such as grass and brush, that sparked the fires.

"The lawsuit also alleges failure to maintain the system and power grid, which caused the systemic failures starting three different fires," the island's press release states.

"Maui County stands alongside the people and communities of Lāhainā and Kula to recover public resource damages and rebuild after these devastating utility-caused fires. These damages include losses to public infrastructure, fire response costs, losses to revenues, increased costs, environmental damages, and losses of historical or cultural landmarks," the statement said, recalling that the fires burned more than 3,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,200 structures constituting at least $5.5 billion in damages.

Hawaiian Electric shares fall

After the lawsuit came to light, the utility's shares fell 6%. The company has already announced that it will suspend its quarterly dividend starting in the third quarter to help rebuild some of the damage caused by the fires.