Hawaiian Electric, the main electricity provider in the state of Hawaii (USA), is the subject of a class action lawsuit for his possible role in fires on the island of maui that have caused almost a hundred deaths, according to local media reports.

The lawsuit, brought by three law firms representing those affected by the fires in the city of Lahaina, argues that the utility “inexcusably left its power line energized for high-risk conditions by fires that had been foreseen”, collects the medium Spectrum News.

“The destruction could have been prevented if the defendants had listened to warnings from the National Weather Service and had turned off power to their power lines during the anticipated high wind event.” since several days before the start of the firesindicates the demand.

The practice of shutting off power on power lines for public safety It is common in parts of the western United States when there are conditions of high danger due to fires, since these have been the cause of numerous fires, especially in California, adds the medium.

When the fires broke out last Tuesday, August 8, and Maui lost electricity and communications, hawaii alarm systemthe largest in the world, was not activated, according to authorities.

For this reason, Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez has announced that conduct a “thorough investigation” on the authorities’ response to the disaster. Hawaiian Electric, which supplies electricity to 95% of the state, has explained in a statement that it has restored service to 60% of customers who had been without power since Tuesday, and has some 300 employees and contractors working to restore it in West Maui and Upcountry.

The company, which has not referred to the lawsuit in its note, has indicated that there has been extensive damage to parts of the electrical system that distribute power to communities and that it is “still fragile,” so workers are working carefully for its safety.

In addition, it has warned that there could be “intermittent blackouts” and has called on Maui residents to try to conserve electricity and limit it to essential uses.

The most dramatic fire by number of victims in the US in the last century

There are already 96 people killed in the fires that have devastated the island of Maui (Hawaii, USA) in the last week, in which it has become the most dramatic fire in terms of the number of victims in the United States in the last century, and the priority is focused on continue searching for the hundreds of missing.

According to the figures published by the local authorities, three more bodies have been found in the last few hours, which brings the death toll to 96Although it is feared that the worst is yet to come, because search teams, aided by specialist dogs, are expected to find many more bodies among the charred ruins of the historic resort town of Lahaina.

Hundreds of people are still missing, although in many areas there is no electricity nor mobile coverage to contact them, and their family and friends have mobilized on social networks asking for help to find them.

In fact, the head of the Maui Police Department, John Pelletier, has stated in a press conference that the search, recovery and identification process is still in its initial stage, so the death toll will rise and it is not clear where it will end.

“None of us really know its size yet,” said Pelletier, who recalled that the greatest devastation is in the west of the Hawaiian island, where cities like Lahaina have been left almost completely destroyed.

Although the authorities are being cautious when it comes to giving a figure, Pelletier himself has estimated 1,000 people the number of missingpeople who until now had not been located by their relatives, a figure that has not been updated again.

Pelletier has recognized that until this Saturday it has only been possible inspect 3% of the affected area. “We are going as fast as we can, but we have only been able to reach 3%, that is what has been sought with the dogs.”

According to local authorities, starting today Monday, and to expedite travel to West Maui, a system will begin to operate that use access signs to ensure efficient traffic management and prioritize the safety of all road users.

Thus, posters will be issued according to the following categories– West Maui residents, West Maui resort staff, first responders, medical staff, utility staff, county staff, supply truckers, and volunteers.

There are areas of Lahaina and Upper Kula where tap water is not drinkable (even after boiling) and it is recommended to use bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, making ice and prepare food until further notice.

To facilitate this situation, they have enabled various drinking water supply pointsas well as for food and other necessities, and emergency shelters are also still open.