In search for cause of #Hawaii’s #wildfires, lawyers probe power lines
Utility lacks formal power shutoff program for fire risk
By Mark Chediak and Jef Feeley , August 14, 2023
"Attorneys with Watts Guerra, Singleton Schreiber, and Frantz Law Group said they have been collecting evidence, interviewing eyewitnesses and reviewing reports that indicate that damaged power #infrastructure owned by #HawaiianElectric Industries Inc. created the spark for the flames.
"'All evidence — videos, witness accounts, burn progression, and utility equipment remaining — points to Hawaiian Electric’s equipment being the ignition source of the fire that devastated #Lahaina said Mikal Watts, a Puerto Rico-based plaintiffs lawyer at Watts Guerra who has won millions of dollars in settlements in other wildfire cases, including against California utility giant PG&E Corp.
"Hawaiian Electric, which operates the Maui Electric utility, has come under criticism for not turning off power despite warnings of critical fire conditions due to predicted dry, gale-force winds. The utility earlier this week said strong winds downed electric power lines and snapped power poles ahead of the blazes."
Read more:
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/14/in-search-for-hawaii-fires-cause-lawyers-probe-power-lines-2/
https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/14/in-search-for-hawaii-fires-cause-lawyers-probe-power-lines-2/
DoomsdaysCW /
npub1fp…pzf96
2023-08-14 21:53:35
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2023-08-14 21:53:35Event JSON
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"content": "In search for cause of #Hawaii’s #wildfires, lawyers probe power lines\n\nUtility lacks formal power shutoff program for fire risk\n\nBy Mark Chediak and Jef Feeley , August 14, 2023\n\n\"Attorneys with Watts Guerra, Singleton Schreiber, and Frantz Law Group said they have been collecting evidence, interviewing eyewitnesses and reviewing reports that indicate that damaged power #infrastructure owned by #HawaiianElectric Industries Inc. created the spark for the flames.\n\n\"'All evidence — videos, witness accounts, burn progression, and utility equipment remaining — points to Hawaiian Electric’s equipment being the ignition source of the fire that devastated #Lahaina said Mikal Watts, a Puerto Rico-based plaintiffs lawyer at Watts Guerra who has won millions of dollars in settlements in other wildfire cases, including against California utility giant PG\u0026E Corp.\n\n\"Hawaiian Electric, which operates the Maui Electric utility, has come under criticism for not turning off power despite warnings of critical fire conditions due to predicted dry, gale-force winds. The utility earlier this week said strong winds downed electric power lines and snapped power poles ahead of the blazes.\"\n\nRead more:\nhttps://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/14/in-search-for-hawaii-fires-cause-lawyers-probe-power-lines-2/\n\nhttps://www.mercurynews.com/2023/08/14/in-search-for-hawaii-fires-cause-lawyers-probe-power-lines-2/",
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