This company has been sued, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century! Hawaiian officials may overlook warning information Hawaii State | Wildfire | Warning
According to a report released by Maui County, Hawaii on August 12th, the Maui Island wildfire that ignited on August 8th has killed 93 people, surpassing the California Camp wildfire that killed at least 85 people in 2018. The Governor of Hawaii stated on the same day that this is also the deadliest fire in the United States in a century.
93 deaths caused by wildfire in Hawaii, making it the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century
![This company has been sued, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century! Hawaiian officials may overlook warning information Hawaii State | Wildfire | Warning](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/38ff1931c28aa31291eb814b728a2ad7.jpg)
According to assessment data jointly released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Pacific Disaster Center, the area of wildfires on Maui Island has exceeded 8.78 square kilometers, damaging more than 2200 buildings. On the 12th, Hawaii Governor Josh Green held a press conference stating that currently, only 3% of the disaster area has been searched by search and rescue dogs. With the progress of search and rescue work, the number of casualties may further increase. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has deployed 150 rescue personnel to the disaster area, and more rescue teams and search dogs will arrive in the coming days.
Josh Green also stated on the same day that the losses caused by wildfires have approached 6 billion US dollars, equivalent to approximately 43.4 billion yuan. Currently, among the three major wildfires burning on Maui Island, 85% of the wildfires with the code name "La Haina" causing the heaviest losses have been controlled, and the other two wildfires have also been controlled at 80% and 50%, respectively. A set of comparative photos show that the seaside resort town of La Haina suffered a catastrophic blow in the fire, with ruins visible everywhere.
![This company has been sued, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century! Hawaiian officials may overlook warning information Hawaii State | Wildfire | Warning](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/570c253eebcc7f1c34b6c4963d5adbe1.gif)
At the same time, investigations into the wildfire have gradually begun, and there are indications that local officials could have made better preparations, but they have overlooked some warning information.
Abby Fraser, Assistant Professor of Climatology at Clark University in the United States: We actually obtained some information about this summer in advance, such as wind, low humidity, and plants that can be used as fuel. Any spark could trigger a big fire, which is exactly what we see.
![This company has been sued, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century! Hawaiian officials may overlook warning information Hawaii State | Wildfire | Warning](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/437cfbf928dbdca13cd9a5f6c3c9b513.gif)
Two local residents sue Hawaii Electric Power Company
The investigation into the wildfire on Maui Island in Hawaii has begun, and the Governor of Hawaii has stated that it may take weeks or even months to confirm the cause of the fire. According to the Washington Post on the 12th, two local residents have filed a lawsuit against Hawaii Electric Power Company, accusing the company of negligence in not taking measures to cut off electricity to reduce the risk of fire.
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According to Bloomberg on the 12th, teams of several US law firms have traveled to Maui Island to visit witnesses and review relevant reports. Preliminary investigation shows that the damaged power facilities of Hawaii Electric Power Company may be the cause of the fire. Earlier, Hawaii Electric Power Company mentioned that before the fire broke out, some power poles were blown down by strong winds due to the impact of Hurricane Dora. Witnesses reported seeing the process of wires falling and catching fire. The investigation team believes that under high temperatures and strong winds, the power company should have cut off power in a timely manner. According to the Hawaiian Electric Power Company, they do not have a power outage plan for fire risk.
Due to investor concerns that Hawaiian Power Company may be responsible for the wildfire, the company's stock was sold off, and on the 10th, its stock price fell by more than 7%, marking the largest daily decline for the company in over two years. As of the close on the 11th, the weekly decline has exceeded 12%.
![This company has been sued, the deadliest wildfire in the United States in a century! Hawaiian officials may overlook warning information Hawaii State | Wildfire | Warning](https://a5qu.com/upload/images/65214b455f21a6709855f18a35dca735.gif)