Originally Posted by
STS-134
HECO does have a point. The power was on when the first fire started, but that fire is not the one that burned down the town. If the second fire was not a reignition of the first, it couldn't be HECO's fault because the power was out to the entire west side by then. If the second fire was a reignition of the first, the entire town burning down is not primarily HECO's fault, it's the fire department's fault for leaving the scene before the fire was out.
I'm watching the 5:00 news now. The lead story was this issue. It was mentioned that at the time Lahaina was evacuating during the hellfire, there were live electric lines on the ground.
I am not a lawyer, but I suspect that even if the MFD wrongly called the first fire contained and left the scene, HECO is still liable because after all, their equipment started the fire. Contributory negligence?