Hawaii’s energy provider grilled on Capitol Hill over deadly brush fire
The official cause of the fire that destroyed much of Lahaina is still undetermined, officials with Hawaiian Electric said. The blaze was the deadliest fire in the U.S. in over a century.
Lahaina residents begin painful task of sifting through debris of homes for first time since deadly Hawaii wildfires
Some Lahaina, Hawaii, residents have been allowed to return home and begin to sift through what's left nearly two months after deadly wildfires in Maui.
WASHINGTON – Officials from Hawaii testified Thursday in front of a U.S. House subcommittee examining the cause of an inferno on the island of Maui that killed at least 97 people in the worst natural disaster to strike the state.
Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura was joined by state utility members, answering questions on the status of the electrical grid and if any measures could have been taken before the blaze broke out.
Kimura told lawmakers that the cause of the deadly blaze was still underdetermined and that the company followed protocol on the fateful day in August.
"So, in 2019, our team started developing a wildfire mitigation plan. And based on what they had learned from the plans in California, including their preemptive shut-off program. They determined…that wasn’t the appropriate fit for Hawaii. Hawaii is very unique, and through that process, that’s the determination that was made. And we had other protocols in place when there’s high winds. So, when you’re asking, why didn’t we shut off the power, that is not our protocol," Kimura stated.
ANXIOUS LAHAINA RESIDENTS RETURNING HOME FOR FIRST TIME SINCE DEADLY MAUI WILDFIRES
Lahaina Fire impacted zone
(Pacific Disaster Center, Federal Emergency Management Agency / FOX Weather)
The CEO said in her prepared testimony that power lines likely triggered a fire on the morning of August 8, but the company is still working with investigators to determine what sparked the larger afternoon blaze that destroyed much of Lahaina.
The State of Hawaii estimated damages to be around $6 billion as more than 2,000 buildings were destroyed by a series of fires.
Lahaina just started to allow some residents to view their devastated properties as local, state and federal continue to work to clear hazards.
Several of the questions asked by House members went unanswered by Kimura, who promised to follow up with the committee.
BEFORE-AND-AFTER SATELLITE IMAGES OF MAUI AFTER DEADLY WIND-DRIVEN BRUSH FIRES
It remains to be seen what the next step will be for the committee as the U.S. government approaches its first shutdown in more than four years.
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell previously pledged the disaster will remain one of the agency’s top priorities despite a dwindling disaster relief fund.
The entire catastrophe remains under review by the Hawaii attorney general, who has not indicated a timeline for when a final report will be issued.
Slow progress searching through Hawaii debris after wildfire
FOX News' William LaJeunesse brings us the latest on the death toll and the number of residents still missing after deadly wildfires scorched Maui.