The fires, which killed over 100 people and forced thousands to evacuate, particularly devastated the historic town of Lahaina.

Here is what we know about how the Maui wildfires started.

What caused the Maui fire?

Several factors contributed to the catastrophic wildfire outbreak.

The ignition of the Lahaina fire can be directly traced back to a preventable and critical failure in utility equipment maintenance:

• Utility Pole Failure: A termite-damaged utility pole was identified as the ignition point of the catastrophic fire. This incident underscores a clear case of preventable negligence. Hawaiian Electric was aware of the pole's compromised condition, as evidenced by a maintenance marker signaling the urgent need for its replacement. Despite this critical information, the utility failed to take the necessary actions to rectify the issue.
• Insufficient Safety Measures: In 2019, four years before the fire, Hawaiian Electric recognized the escalating wildfire risk and committed to enhancing its infrastructure. Despite this recognition, the utility's actual expenditure on wildfire safety measures was woefully inadequate, totaling only a fraction of what was necessary to ensure robust safety protocols. Crucially, the lack of preemptive power shut-offs, a vital measure that could have prevented the fire outbreaks, highlights the severe consequences of their failure to address the known risks associated with termite-damaged utility poles adequately.

One significant factor was the prevailing weather conditions at the time.

Much of Hawaii was under a red flag warning for fire risk due to a combination of factors.

Hurricane Dora generated dangerous high wind conditions in the region.

These strong winds, dry conditions, and low humidity created "fire weather," in which the landscape became highly susceptible to wildfires.

Strong winds downed power lines, further escalating the danger.

The power company's alleged absence of precautionary safety measures was a second factor.

Claims emerged that Hawaiian Electric, the state's primary power company, did not implement precautionary safety measures recommended in an emergency plan to reduce wildfire risks ahead of the storm.

The company was criticized for not shutting off electricity to areas where strong winds were expected, a measure that could have prevented the ignition of fires from downed power lines.

Finally, there were concerns about activating Hawaii's warning sirens.

While Hawaii has a statewide outdoor warning siren system designed to alert residents ahead of natural disasters or emergencies, including wildfires, the sirens were not activated during the Maui wildfires.

Instead, emergency alerts were sent via mobile phones, television, and radio

Officials defended the decision not to activate the sirens, expressing concerns that activating them might have caused people to move toward higher ground, potentially putting them in the path of the fires.

Legal Actions and Community Advocacy

Nationally recognized wildfire litigator Mikal Watts and respected Lahaina attorney Jan K. Apo have been vigorously pursuing legal action on behalf of many residents of Lahaina. Apo, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, holds a leadership position on the Liaison Committee for this case.

Armed with extensive resources and supporting expert witnesses and investigators, our law firms are dedicated to holding the utilities accountable for their negligence and obtaining justice for the victims of the Lahaina wildfires. We have effectively established liability against the named defendants, gathering the necessary evidence to prove the utility's failures precipitating this disaster.

Attorney Apo has also testified and continues to advocate before the Hawai'i legislature, challenging inadequate legislative proposals to ensure that new laws genuinely support the fire survivors rather than protecting corporate interests.

Contact us now for a free, private case evaluation to determine your case's worth—we operate on a contingency fee basis, meaning we only charge fees if we secure a favorable outcome.