After weeks of speculation, Hawaiian Electric Company, which provides power to Lahaina, admitted that its power lines caused the first of two flare-ups in a field next to Lahaina Intermediate School. But, the company maintains it is not responsible for the fires that killed at least 115 people and left an unknown number of others …
reporter: and jim, the electric company s spokesperson told cnn they re disappointed the county took this litigious route. the washington post is reporting, natasha, that the power company this is quite alarming to hear may have compromised deliberately even compromised evidence. what are the details exactly? how so? reporter: well, the washington post went through court records, letters, and documents where they say the utility removed damaged poles, lines, and other equipment from where the lahaina fire reportedly started before investigators were able to view the scene. and cnn is still working to confirm those details independently. but the post reports that this violated national guidelines on how utilities should handle and preserve evidence after a wildfire, that this deprives investigators the opportunity to view these downed poles and lines. in response, a spokesperson from the company told the washington post that they are in regular
Family are. it s very desperate, very slow, very grueling, but the list is a solid thing that authorities now have. and the county now is suing the electric company saying they should have diminished the power or shut it off entirely, right? the 13th lawsuit, this one from the county, saying you had all the information from the were service, we told you this should have been de-energized, they didn t ko it, the lines came down. they say they are at fall, not only that, but years of mismanagement that led up to the decision. the electric company one more thing, the electric company saying they re disappointed this level of litigation would follow through before the investigation wrapped up. steve patterson, reminiscent of the paradise fire, as you mentioned now five years ago.
See americans stand up for each other. what happens here is with this isolated island out here in the middle of the pacific, it s just so visual. helicopters, planes and boats. people stepping up, logistics to solve the problems in one of the most isolated places on earth when there is, quite honestly a failure of leadership. steve: will, now they are starting to point finger, they are saying probably started by the electric company out there. but people don t kind of forget at the perfect storm, if you will, of what happened. because there was a hurricane to the south. 60, 70, 80 miles per hour winds. it was spreading the fire one mile per minute. it was that fast. and the local firefighters were tapping into the hydrants. but because of the drought, the hydrants were running dry. will: you know, so, steve, you are absolutely right. first of all, there was 80 mile-per-hour winds that day. again, as you guys well know.