October 3, 2024
The fire that razed the historic Maui town of Lahaina last year was caused when Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. re-energized broken utility lines that caused sparks to ignite unmaintained dry vegetation, the Maui Fire Department said. The blaze was a …
September 16, 2024
No single factor led a fire in the seaside Hawaiian town of Lahaina last year to rage out of control and kill 102 people, according to a state report that assesses the government’s response to the disaster but not its …
September 4, 2024
The Hawaii Supreme Court will be asked to weigh in on an issue that threatens to thwart a $4 billion settlement in last year’s devastating Maui wildfires. Judge Peter Cahill on Maui agreed to ask the state high court questions …
August 5, 2024
Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. has agreed to pay almost $2 billion as part of a $4 billion settlement to resolve hundreds of lawsuits over wildfires in Maui that killed dozens of people and destroyed the historic town of Lahaina last …
July 22, 2024
A half-dozen Maui wildfire victims sued a group of insurers, including State Farm and Allstate, accusing them of throwing a wrench into a tentative $4 billion deal to settle their claims. The lawsuit filed Friday in state court in Maui …
August 30, 2023
Hawaii’s electric utility acknowledged its power lines started a wildfire on Maui but faulted county firefighters for declaring the blaze contained and leaving the scene, only to have a second wildfire break out nearby and become the deadliest in the …
August 25, 2023
Shareholders of Hawaiian Electric HE.N on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the utility provider in a San Francisco federal court, alleging the company’s failure to disclose important information about its wildfire prevention and safety protocols. Hawaiian’s protocols and procedures were …
August 25, 2023
The county of Maui, Hawaii, on Thursday sued Hawaiian Electric HE.N accusing the power company of acting negligently by failing to shut down its equipment despite warnings hurricane winds could knock power lines down, sparking wildfires. The county said downed …
August 23, 2023
Hawaii property owners are seizing on a legal shortcut used by fire victims in California to secure compensation from Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. for damages following the fires that ravaged Maui. The strategy, which doesn’t require proving negligence, helped push …
August 23, 2023
Growing extreme-weather risks mean President Joe Biden’s expected request for billions in extra disaster-relief funding might not be enough for the next fiscal year, FEMA head Deanne Criswell said. Biden’s roughly $12 billion request would cover the spending year ending …