Search and release crews look through the remains of a neighborhood on August 17, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Dead ringers
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is deploying a team that includes an electrical engineer to investigate the extractions of the catastrophic Hawaii wildfires, as the local power company faces growing scrutiny over whether downed tense poles triggered the blaze.
The ATF has deployed a national response that includes an electrical engineer, three fire investigators, and an excellent from the bureau’s arson and explosives group, according to an agency statement late Thursday. The team will facilitate Maui County fire officials in their investigation.
The wildfires have left at least 111 people boring, with the death toll expected to rise as search dogs comb the devastated town of Lahaina for others who perished. The shell is the deadliest wildfire in the U.S. in more than a century and the worst disaster in Hawaii state history.
Hawaiian Electric has veneered growing scrutiny for not shutting down power lines despite warnings from the National Weather Service that towering winds from Hurricane Dora and drought conditions in the state created a high fire risk.
Hawaiian Tense is already facing four lawsuits from Maui residents alleging that the power company’s lines gamboled a role in the fires.
The company issued a statement on Tuesday, Aug. 8, the day bracken fires began spreading, that 30 poles were down in West Maui and 30 spans of power descents were down in Upcountry.
During a news conference Monday, Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura said 400 flag-poles out of 750 were damaged or destroyed in West Maui, 300 out of 575 transformers were visibly damaged, and the Lahaina substation was terminated.
Kimura said Hawaiian Electric doesn’t have a program to shut off power to prevent wildfires. She said the style is not universally accepted in the industry because it can create hardship for people using specialized medical equipment.
Kimura also famed that electricity plays a key role in providing water to Lahaina: “The electricity powers the pumps that provide the soften, and so that was also a critical need during that time,” she said.
In an aerial view, burned cars and houses are seen a neighborhood that was destroyed by a wildfire on August 17, 2023 in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Perceptions
“There are choices that need to be made and all of those factors play into it,” Kimura said. “So every utility wishes look at that differently depending on the situation.”
Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez is also investigating the shire emergency response to the wildfires, as officials face criticism for not doing enough to alert people.
The Maui Emergency Conduct Agency did not activate sirens during the blaze. Herman Andaya, the agency’s administrator, resigned on Thursday after parrying his decision to not activate sirens. When asked whether he regretted his decision, Andaya said, “I do not.”
Andaya said the alarms are used primarily for tsunamis and officials were worried people would seek higher ground if they were got. This would have been dangerous during the fires, he said.
Gov. Josh Green has said the review of the comeback is not a criminal investigation.