Maui Wildfire Lawsuit: Lahaina Couple Sue Four Hawaiian Power Companies for 'Ignoring' Warning Signs Before Deadly Blaze That Killed 96
A Hawaiian couple filed the first lawsuit this week against a number of the state’s power companies for allegedly “ignoring” warning signs leading up to the devastating Maui wildfires, RadarOnline.com can report.
In the latest development to come after a series of wildfires raged across Maui last week and killed at least 96 people, a couple from the historic Hawaiian town of Lahaina sued four of the state’s power companies for causing “loss of life, serious injuries, [and] destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses.”
Rede and Monice Eder filed the lawsuit on Monday against Hawaiian Electric Industries – the parent company of Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Electric Light Company, and Maui Electric Company – "on behalf of a class and subclass of all persons similarly situated.”
According to the Lahaina couple, the power companies "inexcusably kept their power lines energized during forecasted high fire danger conditions.”
“This destruction could have been avoided if defendants had heeded National Weather Service warnings and deenergized their power lines during predicted high-wind event,” the newly filed complaint charged.
"Scores of people burned to death," the lawsuit continued. "Other victims suffered severe burns, smoke inhalation, and additional serious injuries."
Meanwhile, Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Jim Kelly refused to comment on the newly filed lawsuit – although he did indicate that there is currently no evidence that the wildfires were caused because the power companies ignored warning signs issued by the National Weather Service.
"As has always been our policy, we don’t comment on pending litigation," Kelly in a statement to Fox News on Monday.
He continued, "Our immediate focus is on supporting emergency response efforts on Maui and restoring power for our customers and communities as quickly as possible.”
“At this early stage, the cause of the fire has not been determined and we will work with the state and county as they conduct their review."
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As RadarOnline.com previously reported, the death toll from the Maui wildfire disaster rose to 96 on Monday morning.
Hundreds of residents remain missing and tens of thousands more expect to be permanently displaced as a result of the wildfires.
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Democratic House Rep. Jill Tokuda of Hawaii’s 2nd Congressional District admitted on Saturday morning that the state “underestimated” the “lethality and the quickness of fire” that ravaged the island earlier last week.
House Rep. Tokuda also acknowledged that the state’s emergency alert system – which relied on cell phone alerts – failed due to the fact that there was little to no cell service in the area at the time the fires closed in on Maui.
“It's not like hurricane force winds are unknown to Hawaii, or dry brush, or red flag conditions,” Tokuda explained over the weekend. “We saw this before in [Hurricane] Lane.”
“We did not learn our lesson from Lane – that brush fires could erupt as a result of churning hurricane winds below us to the south,” she continued. “We have got to make sure that we do better.”
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