Maui Fire releases cause report on deadly US forest fire

HONOLULU (AP) — The Maui Fire Department is expected to explain Wednesday exactly how last year sparked the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century.

The historic town of Lahaina on Maui was destroyed and 102 people died in the devastating forest fire. Multiple agencies have investigated the fire and detailed the poor conditions — including hurricane-force winds and missteps in emergency response efforts — that contributed to the tragic outcome. However, to date, these reports have not conducted an analysis of the origin and cause of the fire, leaving that task to the Maui Fire Department and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Maui Fire Department asked the ATF for help with the cause and origin investigation last year, and the ATF's findings are included as an appendix to the department's report.

What is already clear is that a lot went wrong before and during the disaster. The National Weather Service warned in advance that a hurricane moving far offshore would bring strong winds to the island, dramatically increasing the risk of fires. But an investigation by the Fire Safety Research Institute commissioned by the Hawaii attorney general's office found “no evidence” that officials had prepared for the fire threat despite the warning.

Early on the morning of August 8, a Hawaiian Electric power line collapsed, starting a fire in an overgrown brush on the edge of town. Firefighters responded and stayed for several hours until they believed the fire had been extinguished. After they left, flames were spotted again and although firefighters rushed back, they were no match for the wind and flames.

Communication between police and fire departments was spotty, cell phone networks were down and emergency responders did not activate emergency sirens that might have warned residents to evacuate. Power lines and poles had collapsed in many places across the city, and police closed some streets to protect residents from potentially dangerous power lines. First responders also had difficulty getting a clear answer from Hawaiian Electric representatives if power had been interrupted in the area.

The blocked roads contributed to gridlock, leaving fleeing people trapped in their cars as the flames continued to advance. Others died in their homes or outside while trying to escape. The death toll surpassed that of the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, which killed 85 people and destroyed the town of Paradise.

In recent months, thousands of Lahaina residents have sued various parties they say are responsible for the fire, including Hawaiian Electric, Maui County and the state of Hawaii. The defendants have often tried to point fingers at each other. Hawaiian Electric said the county shouldn't have left the first fire unattended, and Maui County argued the utility failed to properly care for the power grid. The question of who exactly was responsible for clearing the brush and maintaining the site was also a point of contention among the defendants, as was the utility's lack of a public safety shutdown program.

A few days before the first anniversary of the wildfires, Hawaii Governor Josh Green announced a $4 billion settlement. That's the amount the defendants – including Hawaiian Electric, the state, Maui County, large landowners and others – agreed to pay to settle the claims.

But the deal remains in limbo in court, awaiting a Hawaii Supreme Court decision on whether insurance companies can sue the defendants separately to recover amounts paid to policyholders. Lawyers for compensation seekers fear that allowing insurance companies to sue Hawaiian Electric and others would undermine the deal, deplete funds available to pay fire victims and lead to protracted litigation. ___

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.