Utility does not dispute earlier findings its equipment started the fire that destroyed much of Lahaina in 2023.
The devastating wildfires that killed 102 people and demolished much of Lahaina have already prompted thorough investigations by county, state and federal authorities, but until now, none by the privately owned power company whose equipment sparked the fire.
Hawaiian Electric Co. added to the pile of reports on Thursday, filing a 59-page accounting to the 贬补飞补颈驶颈 Public Utilities Commission that provided no new information about the cause of the blaze or the company驶s response.
Instead the document represents a sober coda to existing official narratives of the catastrophic fires, largely synthesizing previous reports by Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, the Maui Fire Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The report bluntly acknowledges it 鈥渄oes not contain information or conclusions that depart in any material way from this body of work.鈥
鈥淎nyone who鈥檚 reviewed the responses that we鈥檝e made to the PUC for the past year and other public reports and investigations is going to be familiar with what鈥檚 in this report,鈥 said Jim Kelly, HECO鈥檚 vice president for government and community relations and corporate communications. 鈥淚n our view, there are no surprises.鈥
In broad terms, the narrative is familiar. High winds damaged utility lines and knocked out power in the pre-dawn hours of Aug. 8, 2023. HECO re-energized power lines later that morning, sparking a fire that was thought to be extinguished by midday, only to flare up later and ultimately sweep through Lahaina.
The bulk of the report consists of a timeline of the fires, starting with the utility鈥檚 focus on Hurricane Dora, which passed near Hawaii on Aug. 6.
Although Dora missed the islands, HECO鈥檚 report describes how the utility prepared for high winds by activating a 鈥渞eclose blocking鈥 procedure that prevents lines that had lost power from re-energizing until they had been inspected. HECO said it performed the required inspections and has long acknowledged it started the morning fire when it re-energized its lines on the morning of Aug. 8.
The report also includes an extensive discussion of the utility鈥檚 infamous Pole 7A, which by multiple accounts snapped in high winds and pulled down the power lines found to have sparked the fires.
Lawyers for individual plaintiffs and insurers聽have alleged extensive termite damage caused the pole to break. But Hawaiian Electric鈥檚 report disputes that, saying HECO had inspected the pole in 2010 and 2022 and found it 鈥渇it to remain in service.鈥
鈥淭he inspector assessed the remaining pole strength at 95% based on the observed measurements of the pocket of deterioration,鈥 the report says. 鈥淧ole 7A was not identified for replacement or restoration.鈥
The report includes a photo showing termite damage that appears far less than photos released by plaintiffs鈥 and insurance industry lawyers, which show much more serious degradation.
HECO驶s report also details actions it has taken since the fires to mitigate future fire risk, including a much-publicized Public Safety Power Shutoff program, which allows it to proactively cut off power in areas facing heightened wildfire risks due to weather.
The company also has expanded its reclose blocking program and deployed high-definition 360-degree cameras that use artificial intelligence to spot ignitions and notify the utility and firefighters.
By January, the company is required to submit a more comprehensive strategy for wildfire mitigation to the PUC.
HECO doesn鈥檛 provide is its own account of what started the devastating afternoon fires. But the company acknowledges that official reports have concluded there was just one fire. The so-called afternoon fire was just a continuation of the morning fire. That forecloses earlier discussion that Lahaina was ravaged by a second fire, started by a culprit other than HECO.
Weeks after the fire, HECO issued a news release acknowledging it had started the morning blaze, but also saying the morning fire had been deemed extinguished and HECO鈥檚 power was shut off when the afternoon fire started. The cause of the afternoon fire, HECO said at the time, was unknown.聽
On Thursday, HECO noted that the ATF and Maui Fire Department 鈥渃oncluded that the Morning Fire that was initially reported to be extinguished rekindled at around 2:55 p.m. (鈥淎fternoon Fire鈥), and that the Afternoon Fire that spread to Lahaina was not a new ignition.鈥
“Hawaiian Electric deeply regrets that its equipment was involved in the ignition of the Morning Fire,” the company said.
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About the Author
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Stewart Yerton is the senior business writer for 天美视频. You can reach him at syerton@civilbeat.org.