The Day E-Paper

FIRST CONGRESSIONAL HEARING ON MAUI WILDFIRE FOCUSES ON ISLAND’S SOLE ELECTRIC PROVIDER AND GRID

Hawaii’s top public utility officials and the president of Hawaiian Electric testified Thursday in a congressional hearing about the role the electrical grid played in last month’s deadly Maui wildfire. Members of a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee question the utility officials about how the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century began — and whether the electrical grid in Lahaina was safe and properly maintained. The fire killed at least 97 people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, mostly homes. It first erupted at 6:30 a.m. on Aug. 8, when strong winds appeared to cause a Hawaiian Electric power line to fall, igniting dry brush and grass near a large subdivision.

WORLD & NATION

en-us

2023-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-09-29T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://epaper.theday.com/article/281526525684899

The Day