In the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows — those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact.
Videos and images analyzed by The Associated Press confirmed those wires were among miles of line that Hawaiian Electric Co. left naked to the weather and often-thick foliage, despite a recent push by utilities in other wildfire- and hurricane-prone areas to cover up their lines or bury them.
Hawaiian Electric said in a statement that it has "long recognized the unique threats" from climate change and has spent millions of dollars in response, but did not say whether specific power lines that collapsed in the early moments of the fire were bare. "Even tourists that drive around the island are like, 'What is that?' They're leaning quite significantly because the winds over time literally just pushed them over," she said. "That obviously is not going to withstand 60, 70 mile per hour winds. So the infrastructure was just not strong enough for this kind of windstorm … The infrastructure itself is just compromised.
Sixty percent of the utility poles on West Maui were still down on Aug. 14, according to Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura at a media conference — 450 of the 750 poles.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly firesWhen high winds on Maui brought down power poles, the electrical wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact with the dry grass below.
Read more »
Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly firesIn the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows -- those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact.
Read more »
Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly firesExperts who watched videos showing downed power lines agreed wire that was insulated would not have arced and sparked, igniting a line of flame.
Read more »
Bare electrical wire, leaning poles investigated as possible cause of deadly Maui firesHawaiian Electric is facing a spate of new lawsuits that seek to hold it responsible for the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century. The number of confirmed dead stands at 115, and the county expects that to rise.
Read more »
Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly firesIn the first moments of the Maui fires, when high winds brought down power poles, slapping electrified wires to the dry grass below, there was a reason the flames erupted all at once in long, neat rows -- those wires were bare, uninsulated metal that could spark on contact
Read more »
Bare electrical wire and leaning poles on Maui were possible cause of deadly firesGoogle street view images of poles taken before the fire show the bare wire.
Read more »