province of Maui complained the electricity company Hawaii by the deadly fire That destroyed the coastal city of Lahainastating that the tragedy could have been prevented if the service was interrupted.
The company is under scrutiny after the gluttonous firework killing at least 115 people in that city on the west coast of the island of Maui, on the Pacific Ocean. The lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges negligence on the part of the energy company. Hawaiian Electric and its subsidiaries Despite many warnings of high winds due to an upcoming hurricane, they kept the lines active.
“These transmission lines predictably caused the rapid, deadly, and devastating fire in Lahaina completely destroyed homes, businesses, churches, schools and places of historical interest”, underlined the lawsuit.
“The defendants knew that the strong winds predicted (by the National Weather Service) could knock down poles, knocking power lines to the ground and igniting vegetation,” he explains.
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They also “knew that if their high-altitude electrical equipment caught fire, it would spread at a critical rate,” he adds. In addition, videos supposedly filmed before the flames devastated the city are circulating on social networks in which You can see vegetation on fire generated by sparks coming from cables that fell on the ground.
The province, whose authorities are also coming under fire on charges of lack of preparation for possible fires and failure to react to the spread of flames, asks for unspecified compensation from the power company for the destruction and damage caused.
“Maui County stands with the people and communities of Lahaina and Kula to recover public funds for damage and reconstruction following these devastating utility fires,” the county said in a statement.
Electric utilities in the state of California routinely shut down service on long stretches of distribution lines when winds are strong, a strategy estimated to help prevent flash fires.
On August 14, Hawaiian Electric executive Shelee Kimura defended the decision to keep the lines active, arguing that Electricity was needed to pump water into Lahaina.
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historical tragedy
The August 8 wildfire was the most tragic to hit the United States in a century. It burned over 800 acres and charred historic city of Lahainawhich was the center of power in Hawaii at the time of the archipelago’s monarchy.
The flames, fanned by powerful gusts of wind, advanced so quickly that many residents were trappedand found there was a fire just as they saw it on their doorsteps.
Some people left their cars in the busy main street of the tourist pole and they jumped into the sea to protect themselves from the flames, had to wait for hours while their houses were on fire. The official death toll is expected to rise as search and rescue efforts in Lahaina conclude.
Thousands of people were left homeless as the city’s reconstruction is expected to take years. The federal government estimates that the fire cost about $5.5 billion in damage.
The lawsuit comes a week after Maui’s Chief Emergency Management Officer resigned after being accused of failing to activate the island’s sirens. (JO)
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Source: Eluniverso
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