Recently released videos revealed the fall of cables from the Hawaiian Electric Companyat the origin of the fire that hit the island, and now faces criticism for not cutting off the electricity in the midst of strong winds.
As he referred, Shane Treuneighbor of the neighborhood of MauiHe saw a power pylon snap suddenly with a flash, its sparkling wire falling onto dry grass and quickly igniting a fire. row of flames.
He called the 911 and then activated facebook videos to broadcast live his attempt to fight the flames in lahainawhich included drenching his yard with a garden hose.
“It was almost like someone had set off fireworks. He went up the hill where there was more dry grass and, with the strong wind, the fire burned ”, spread the testimony Associated Press.
The video of Treu and others captured the first moments of what would become the deadliest wildfire in USA in more than a century.
Case of possible negligence of the electric company
Now, the images have become key evidence pointing to the possible cause of the downed power lines. Hawaiian Electric Co. It faces criticism for not cutting off power amid high wind warnings and keeping it on even as dozens of poles began toppling.
A class action lawsuit has already been filed to hold the company responsible for the deaths of more than 100 people. The lawsuit cites documents from the company itself that show it was aware that preemptive power outages, such as those used in Californiawere an effective strategy to prevent forest fires, but he never adopted them.
“Nobody likes to cut off the power – it’s inconvenient – but any company that has a significant risk of forest fire, especially if it is caused by the wind, must do it and have a plan,” he said. Michael Waraexpert in forest fires and director of the Climate and Energy Policy Program of the Stanford University. “In this case, the utility company did not do it.”
“It may turn out that there are other causes of this fire, and the utility lines are not the main cause,” Wara said. “But if they are, this didn’t have to happen.”
Source: Ambito
