Hawaii wildfires: Electric company accused of compromising evidence
ByJessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Compromised evidence: A utility company in Hawaii has been accused of compromising evidence before federal investigators were able to examine it, according to court documents. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
ByJessica Goodman, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
LAHAINA, Hawaii — A utility company in Hawaii has been accused of compromising evidence before federal investigators were able to examine it, according to court documents.
Hawaiian Electric Company worked on the island to remove fallen poles, power lines, transformers, conductors and other equipment by a substation in Lahaina starting on Aug. 12, according to court documents obtained by The Washington Post. They reportedly did this before the officials from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrived.
By removing those items, they possibly violated national guidelines that are in place on how utility companies should handle and preserve evidence after a wildfire. By removing equipment including poles, it is taking away any changes or opportunities for investigators to see the lines downed while trying to determine how the fire started, according to court records obtained by the Post.
Hawaiian Electric Company, according to court records obtained by CNN, acknowledged that some vital evidence was compromised in an exchange with lawyers.
The company reportedly said that “fallen power poles, power lines and other equipment were moved during firefighting efforts and as officials worked to make the area safe for residents,” according to letters that are part of a class action lawsuit from residents of Lahaina, obtained by CNN.
The company told the attorneys of the Lahaina residents involved in the class action lawsuit that it was “possible, even likely” that evidence related “to the cause of the fire,” may be lost, according to CNN.
Hawaiian Electric spokesman Darren Pai said in a statement obtained by the Post that they are speaking with ATF and local officials regularly and that they are cooperating with them and attorneys representing those affected by the wildfires. Pai said they have provided inventories as well as access to removed equipment.
The cause of the wildfires in Lahaina remains under investigation but according to the Post, “there is mounting evidence that Hawaiian Electric’s wind-damaged equipment sent sparks into the dry, overgrown vegetation surrounding its poles.”
Maui County filed a lawsuit against the utility company earlier in the week alleging that Hawaiian Electric Co. “acted negligently by failing to power down their electrical equipment despite a National Weather Service Red Flag Warning on August 7,” according to KHON.
At least 115 people have died in the fires and hundreds of others remain missing.
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Hawaii fire: An attendee reacts during a Sunday church service held at Lahaina's Grace Baptist Church. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: A burnt-out car lies in the driveway of a charred house in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: A burnt out car and a sign reading "No Way Through" stand in the driveway of charred apartment complex in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Tempers flared as residents waited in long lines as they are not allowed to pass a checkpoint to return to their homes in Lahaina. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Imag)
Hawaii fire A resident found some dishes among the rubble of a house that survived the wildfire. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Hawaii fire Crews are searching areas for flareups, items, and missing people following the wildfires in Hawaii swept through the area. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Maui residents John Rey Serrano and Lexie Lara look from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Davilynn Severson holds a page of a yearbook as she looks for belongings through the ashes of their family's home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Maui resident John Rey Serrano reacts while looking from a road above Lahaina Town in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Hano Ganer looks through the ashes of his family's home on Malolo Place in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Trixy Nuesca-Ganer looks through the ashes of their family's home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina. (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: A woman cradles her cat after finding him in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (MOSES SLOVATIZKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Burnt books are seen by the public library in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (MOSES SLOVATIZKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: A burned cars sits among destroyed buildings in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PAULA RAMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: A destroyed building is pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PAULA RAMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Burned cars, destroyed buildings and homes are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii (PAULA RAMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Destroyed buildings and homes are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PAULA RAMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Residents walk among their destroyed home in the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (PAULA RAMON/AFP via Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Zoltan Balogh clears away trees that were burned by wildfire in Kula, Hawaii. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: In an aerial view, cars back up for miles on the Honoapiilani highway as residents are allowed back into areas affected by the recent wildfire on Friday. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Hawaii fire: Burned houses and buildings are pictured in the aftermath of a wildfire, is seen in Lahaina, western Maui, Hawaii. (YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)
