More than two weeks after the deadly fires that almost razed a city in Hawaii, the county of Maui announced Thursday to file a complaint against the main electricity supplier of the archipelago, Hawaiian Electric, accusing it of not having cut the power. current before the disaster.

The company is the subject of many suspicions and has already been the subject of a complaint from residents. Videos shot by some locals show a power line damaged by the wind on the day of the disaster, quickly surrounded by flames.

The investigation opened by the justice has not yet returned conclusions, but many wonder about the responsibility of Hawaiian Electric in these fires, the deadliest for a century in the United States, which made at least 115 victims .

The company “acted negligently by not turning off its electrical equipment,” despite a warning from the US Weather Service, Maui County said in a press release.

Before the flames reduced the town of Lahaina to ashes, Hawaii was on red fire alert due to strong winds fed by Hurricane Dora, which was breaking in the Pacific a few hundred miles from the archipelago.

According to the complaint, seen by AFP, the county believes that “this destruction could have been avoided”.

Hawaiian Electric could have predicted that the high winds “would topple utility poles, bring down power lines and ignite vegetation,” the complaint argues.

The supplier had an obligation “to properly maintain and repair electrical transmission lines and other equipment, (…) and to ensure that vegetation was properly trimmed and maintained to avoid contact with overhead power lines,” the complaint added.

Hawaiian Electric “also knew that if its overhead electrical equipment started a fire, it would spread at an extremely rapid rate” on an island suffering from drought, accuses the complaint.

On August 14, Hawaiian Electric boss Shelee Kimura defended her company’s decision not to turn off the power.

“In Lahaina, the electricity supplies the pumps that supply the water,” retorted the leader, specifying that any power cuts could also be dangerous for the elderly or sick.

The Lahaina fire was initially declared under control early in the morning and firefighters were also busy with other fires. A recovery took place in the afternoon and the flames this time engulfed the city.

This week, the authorities explained that they had still identified 1,100 missing persons.

25/08/2023 11:00:41 – Los Angeles (AFP) – © 2023 AFP