At least four lawsuits have been filed against Hawaiian Electric in the aftermath of the deadly wildfires that devastated the island of Maui.
The utility provides power to 95 percent of Hawaii but has faced rising criticism that it had no plans in place to shut down fire systems before the winds blew across the state despite advanced warning of the fire potential, according to NBC News.
One lawsuit obtained by the network claims that the utility set the stage for the fires because of inaction and negligence to its power grid in the years before.
An attorney in the case says the utility was “grossly negligent by making conscious decisions to delay grid modernization projects that would have prevented this very tragedy.”
Hawaiian Electric declined comment on the lawsuits, and a spokesperson said the cause of the fires has not been determined and said the utility will work with the state and the country for a review of the situation.
The blazes killed at least 101 people as of August 16 in the seaside community.
One of the bigger accusations from the public and as noted in the lawsuit was the company’s lack of a “public power shutoff plan” which requires the utility to intentionally shut down the power grid where the risk of fire was the greatest. The practice is used in other states that are threatened by fire such as in California.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facilities market.
