Hawaii's main electric provider faces lawsuit in connection with Maui's deadly wildfires

Reuters

As the death toll rose to 96 in the wildfires in Hawaii's Maui Island as of Monday, a lawsuit has been filed against the US state's main electric provider in connection with the disaster.

A class-action lawsuit was filed on Saturday against Hawaiian Electric, alleging a downed power line on Maui caused the deadliest wildfire in modern US history.

The fires have caused at least 96 deaths and destroyed more than 2,000 structures as of Monday, with an unknown number of people unaccounted for, according to the update information from the authority.

The cause of the fires has not been determined, but plaintiffs said in the 37-page document that the utility company's equipment could be a possible source of ignition.

Hawaiian Electric, which operates the utility that serves Maui, had come under scrutiny for not turning off power despite weather forecasters' warnings that dry, gusty winds could create critical fire conditions.

The plaintiffs said the destruction "could have been avoided" if the utility company shut down its power lines before the high winds hit the island.

"By failing to shut off the power during these dangerous fire conditions, defendants caused loss of life, serious injuries, destruction of hundreds of homes and businesses, displacement of thousands of people, and damage to many of Hawaii's historic and cultural sites," said the complaint.

Hawaiian Electric spokesperson Jim Kelly told NBC News and other news outlets that the company would not comment on pending litigation, saying its immediate focus is supporting emergency response efforts and restoring power.

Shares of Hawaiian Electric plunged 39 percent on Monday amid Wall Street concerns over the company's potential liability in the Maui wildfires.

The Maui wildfires are the deadliest in the United States in more than a century, surpassing California's 2018 Camp Fire which claimed 86 lives, according to the National Fire Protection Association.

Last year, California's largest utility Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) reached a 117 million US dollars settlement agreement in connection with the 2017 North Bay fires and the 2018 Camp Fire.

The 2017 fires were sparked by downed power lines owned by PG&E, and the Camp Fire was sparked by faulty electrical equipment operated by the same company, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

PG&E was driven into bankruptcy in 2019 and since then, power companies in California, Oregon and Nevada have decided to preemptively shut off power when high, dry winds could spark catastrophic fires.