"Hawaii Wildfire Caused by Power Lines" Utility Company Sued... Facing Bankruptcy Crisis

"Claimed to Start from Power Line Cut by Hurricane Strong Winds"
Power Company Remains Tight-Lipped on Unsettled Case
Wildfire Cause Fuels Conspiracy Theories and Fake News on SNS

Claims that the wildfire on Hawaii's Maui Island, which claimed more than 100 lives, may have been caused by the island's major power company are gaining traction.

"Broken power lines caused the wildfire" pointed out... "No preventive measures taken" lawsuit

Amid uncertainty about the exact cause of the large wildfire on Maui Island, Hawaii, claims are gaining traction that a small spark under a power line quickly engulfed Lahaina.
[Photo by AP·Yonhap News]

On the 16th (local time), foreign media including The New York Times (NYT) reported that a lawsuit has been filed against the local major power company, Hawaiian Electric Industries, and its three subsidiaries in connection with the fire disaster.

On the 12th, a couple living in Lahaina, Maui, which suffered the greatest damage from the wildfire, filed a lawsuit against these power companies on charges including gross negligence.

The plaintiffs claim that when Hurricane Dora brought strong winds to Maui Island, a power line was broken and sparked, causing the wildfire.

In fact, according to witness interviews, videos, and satellite images, at around 6:37 a.m. on the 8th, a broken power line in Lahaina fell onto dry grass and began sparking. The sparks gradually blackened the ground, and the flames quickly spread to a nearby yard.

This spark rapidly escalated into a large wildfire, engulfing the historic town of Lahaina within nine hours.

They also argue that Hawaiian Electric did not take preventive measures such as cutting off power despite the issuance of strong wind and wildfire warnings before the fire started in Lahaina.

In areas where wildfires are expected due to strong winds, a "Public Safety Power Shutoff" (PSPS) is implemented, which involves cutting off power to prevent branches or other debris from contacting power lines and causing wildfires. Many power companies in states like California have adopted this measure.

However, Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries allegedly did not cut power even though they were aware that some utility poles and power lines had fallen and were in contact with vegetation or the ground.

Nevertheless, the official cause of the wildfire has not yet been determined.

Hawaiian Electric: "We will not comment as no verdict has been reached"

Repairing a utility pole damaged by the Hawaii wildfire.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The plaintiffs stated, "We believe the power lines caused the fast, deadly, and destructive Lahaina wildfire that destroyed homes, buildings, churches, schools, and historical and cultural sites."

The plaintiffs' legal team requested the court to recognize the lawsuit as a class action representing all residents who lost property or were injured in the wildfire.

Hawaiian Electric said it would not comment on the lawsuit as no verdict has been reached yet.

Jim Kelly, Vice President of Hawaiian Electric, said, "For now, we will focus on supporting Maui's emergency response and restoring power as quickly as possible," adding, "The cause of the fire has not been determined, and we will cooperate with state and county investigations."

Selie Kimura, CEO of Hawaiian Electric, claimed, "The company does not have a power outage program, and cutting power could cause problems for people using electrically powered medical devices."

The death toll from Hawaii's unprecedented wildfire reached 106 as of the afternoon of the 15th. Hawaii authorities stated, "Search dogs have explored about 32% of the affected area," and "Only five victims have been identified so far through DNA analysis and other means."

Conspiracy theories and fake news emerge amid Hawaii wildfires... "Making disaster recovery difficult," critics say

Baseless claims that the Maui wildfire in Hawaii, USA, was caused by so-called Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) are rapidly spreading on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.
[Photo source=X capture]

Meanwhile, baseless claims that the Hawaii wildfire was caused by laser beam weapons are rapidly spreading on social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and TikTok.

Foreign media reported that absurd claims, such as wealthy individuals using DEW (Directed Energy Weapons) to attack in order to buy up the ash-covered land for resort development and make huge profits, or that there is a political motive, are circulating along with manipulated videos.

For example, videos from the May 2019 SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch have been edited to claim it was a DEW attack targeting Maui Island. Online posts have also appeared using footage of a transformer explosion in Chile earlier this year, alleging that beams triggered the wildfire.

Experts warn, "DEW is infrared and cannot be seen with the naked eye," urging people not to fall for such false claims.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.