Hawaiian Electric Issues Statement Regarding Maui Fire Department Report on August 2023 Wildfires
October 02 2024 - 8:51PM
Business Wire
Hawaiian Electric Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HE) subsidiary
Hawaiian Electric today issued the following response to reports
released by the Maui Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (“ATF”) detailing the findings of
their investigations into the cause and origin of the Aug. 8, 2023
Maui windstorm and wildfires:
The fires in Lahaina and Upcountry Maui were terrible tragedies
for our state. The loss and pain experienced by our families,
neighbors, customers and employees will never leave our hearts and
we are working with many government, community and business
partners to keep our communities safe.
We appreciate the commitment by the Maui Fire Department and ATF
to conduct thorough investigations into the events of Aug. 8. We
have been committed to transparency and accountability from the
start and have said that it was important to understand what caused
the fire and its catastrophic impact to ensure that it never
happens again. To that end, our company and our employees have
cooperated fully with all government investigators, diligently
providing requested information while aggressively advancing our
own fire safety measures in parallel.
On Aug. 27, 2023, shortly after the fires occurred, we publicly
stated that it appeared our equipment sparked a fire on the morning
of Aug. 8. The Maui Fire Department and ATF determined that the
fire that impacted Lahaina was accidental in nature and largely
affirmed the original understanding of the timeline of events as
first described by Hawaiian Electric:
- A fire reported at about 6:35 a.m. was caused by Hawaiian
Electric equipment that was damaged by high winds.
- The Maui County Fire Department responded to this small fire,
reported it was “100% contained,” declared it had been
“extinguished,” and then left the scene.
- An afternoon fire began in the same area shortly after their
departure and spread to Lahaina.
The report also concluded that the afternoon fire was a
reignition of the morning fire.
We deeply regret that our operations contributed to the fire
that ignited in the morning. Confronted by an extraordinary weather
event and a chaotic situation, our employees brought their best
efforts to their jobs, as they do every day.
We have looked closely at our protocols and actions that day and
have made many changes in our operations and resilience strategies
to ensure we fulfill our commitment to keep the public safe,
especially in extreme weather events, which are becoming more
frequent and severe.
Consistent with the previous reports published by the Fire
Safety Research Institute (FSRI) and the state Attorney General,
the reports issued by the Maui Fire Department and the ATF also
make clear that the devastation in Lahaina resulted from a
combination of many factors and the actions of many parties. We
appreciate the work of all parties who are working together to
understand what happened and to make our communities safer in a
changing environment.
As stated in the Lahaina Fire Phase Two report published on
Sept. 13, 2024: “The destruction caused by the August 2023 fires …
resulted from a complex interaction of contributing factors with
root causes going back years. It is vital to reiterate, as
demonstrated throughout this report, that no single factor, or set
of factors, is directly responsible for the tragic outcome.”
Wildfires are a statewide and emerging national problem whose
causes are rooted in climate change, history and land management.
Reducing the risk will require an all-hands approach. Hawaiian
Electric is doing its part by continuing to strengthen the
resilience of the electric system. The company has already taken
significant steps to reduce the potential for wildfires, even
before these reports were released:
- As part of our Wildfire Safety Strategy and broader resilience
efforts, Hawaiian Electric is making more than $110 million in
investments in 2024 to strengthen electric infrastructure against
extreme weather conditions, implement enhanced vegetation
management that falls under the utility’s purview and deploy
devices to help prevent wildfires.
- On July 1, 2024, the company launched its Public Safety Power
Shutoff (PSPS) program, which may be used as a last line of defense
to help prevent utility-related wildfires. In standing up the PSPS
program, Hawaiian Electric has seen that coordination with critical
service providers and emergency responders and providing advance
notice to the public are essential elements to ensure public
safety.
- Hawaiian Electric is installing 78 AI-enabled fire detection
cameras and 52 weather stations and sharing data and access with
fire departments and other agencies.
As a 132-year-old company and family of employees deeply rooted
in Hawaiʻi, we are committed to being here for Lahaina, Maui and
the entire state for the long term. The global settlement agreement
in principle we reached in August is an important milestone in our
collaborative work to support our state’s recovery.
As we move forward, we will continue to work together to
strengthen our state’s infrastructure and identify solutions to
keep our communities safe as extreme weather events intensify in
Hawaiʻi and across the country.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241002616404/en/
Media Contact Jim Kelly 808.543.4915
media@hawaiianelectric.com
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