Lahaina wildfire ruled ‘accidental,’ caused by downed power line that ignited dry vegetation

Sparks from a broken overhead power line ignited unmaintained vegetation off of Lahainaluna Road on the morning of Aug. 8, 2023, and that led to a chain of events that leveled Lahaina town and killed at least 102 people, according to an official origin-and-cause report released Wednesday. The fire’s cause was officially determined to be “accidental.”

The much-anticipated, origin-and-cause report was released today by the Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety, with the assistance of the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

During a noon news conference at the Kalana O Maui Building, Fire Chief Brad Ventura said the Lahaina disaster was caused by a single fire ignited by re-energized, broken utility lines at 6:34 a.m. near utility pole No. 25.

While investigators looked into whether there could have been two fires — morning and afternoon — the “clear conclusion” of both MFD and ATF investigators was that it was one fire that proceeded in two identifiable phases, he said.

Ventura said the morning phase continued until Maui firefighters left the scene at approximately 2:18 p.m.

“Throughout the nearly eight hours MFD was on scene during the morning phase, a significant number of resources were deployed to this fire, even as MFD attended to multiple other emergencies, including (power) lines and poles down all over Lahaina town,” he said. “At that time (of leaving the scene), all available indications showed that the fire had been fully contained and extinguished.”

However, Ventura said, at approximately 2:52 p.m., a “rekindle event” took place in the gully next to the earlier burn area. He said it’s believed there was a piece of smoldering material hidden in unmanaged vegetation in the gully and that was “fueled and reignited by a severe wind event, and the fire resumed disastrous consequences.”

There are multiple hypotheses and it’s undetermined how the “rekindle event” unfolded and how smoldering material found susceptible fuel, he said. “Most likely it was a firebrand or smoldering material moved by the wind. This could have happened at any time during the morning phase of the fire, and the brand could have been hidden anywhere in the general area before being transported into the gully. We could not rule out the possibility that smoldering material was displaced by heavy equipment cutting firebreaks to contain the morning phase of the fire. We also could not exclude the possibility that the smoldering item was a root or a piece of other fuel lying under the surface of the dirt and ash that was eventually uncovered and flared up in severe winds.”

Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Giesea said: “We want to make abundantly clear to Lahaina and to our Maui community that our firefighters went above and beyond their due diligence to be as confident as they could be that the fire was completely extinguished before they left the scene.”

Maui firefighters remained on the scene for more than five and a half hours are the fire was completely contained; and for several hours after there weren’t any visible signs of fire: no flames, no smoke, no perceptively glowing pieces of fuel had been observed for hours before they left the scene, he said.

“This is more than twice our average post containment on scene time for similarly sized fires over the last several years,” Giesea said. “Our firefighters spent extensive time on scene despite the fact they were being subjected to near hurricane-force winds and the constant danger of falling utility lines and poles.”

There were also 10 other 911 emergency calls for service in the Lahaina district while firefighters were attending to the morning phase of the fire, he said. “The number of resources devoted to this morning phase of the fire was well above average for similarly sized fires, and this despite the fact that arguably the worst fire in state history was already raging Upcountry at Olinda and Kula.”

Firefighters also poured many thousands of gallons of water, enhanced Class A fire-retarding foam, onto the entire visible burn area, he said. Bulldozers cut firebreak lines around the fire’s perimeter, and the Lahaina bypass served as another firebreak.

“These gave additional assurance that the fire was secure,” he said.

Given the sum of circumstances at the time, including fires Upcountry and the potential for the outbreak of other fires and other emergency calls, and “with all perceptible indicators showing this fire was out, company officers decided it was time to pack up their equipment, head to their nearby station and ready themselves for the next emergency,” Giesea said. “Unfortunately, as you read in the report, some material retained enough heat to rekindle this fire by igniting the dry vegetation.”

Jonathan Blais, ATF Seattle Field Division special agent in charge, expressed gratitude to the Maui firefighters and first responders “for the courage they showed in battling these fires and protecting the community.”

“I cannot emphasize enough that the brave men and women who fought the fire did so facing extreme weather conditions and a wildfire of historic proportions,” he said. “We are grateful for their dedication and service.”

The Lahaina wildfire was the worst wildfire disaster in modern US history.

ATF personnel assisted MFD with data collection, photo and video analysis, and witness interviews during the weeks following the fires, according to Maui County. ATF then consolidated and analyzed that information as the basis for its independent findings and conclusions, as well as its electrical examination, which are appended to MFD’s report.

ATF shared all data and analyses with MFD, with the exception of electrical data, which the utility company provided only to ATF pursuant to a nondisclosure and confidentiality agreement, the County said. Because MFD was not granted access to this electrical data, it relies on ATF’s findings based on those materials.

Hawaiian Electric issued a statement acknowledging the MFD/AFT report finding that the afternoon fire was a re-ignition of the morning fire.

“We deeply regret that our operations contributed to the fire that ignited in the morning,” HECO said. “Confronted by an extraordinary weather event and a chaotic situation, our employees brought their best efforts to their jobs, as they do every day.”

“We have looked closely at our protocols and actions that day and have made many changes in our operations and resilience strategies to ensure we fulfill our commitment to keep the public safe, especially in extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent and severe,” HECO said.

The utility also said that, consistent with two previous reports published by the Fire Safety Research Institute and the Hawaiʻi Department of the Attorney General, the reports issued by the Maui Fire Department and the ATF “also make clear that the devastation in Lahaina resulted from a combination of many factors and the actions of many parties.”

“We appreciate the work of all parties who are working together to understand what happened and to make our communities safer in a changing environment,” HECO said.

The FSRI Phase One fact-finding report and timeline was released April 17, and its Phase Two report was issued Sept. 13.

Wildfires are a statewide and emerging national problem whose causes are rooted in climate change, history and land management. Reducing the risk will require an all-hands approach. Hawaiian Electric is doing its part by continuing to strengthen the resilience of the electric system. The company has already taken significant steps to reduce the potential for wildfires, even before these reports were released:

Hawaiian Electric said that as part of its Wildfire Safety Strategy and broader resilience efforts, HECO is making more than $110 million in investments in 2024 to strengthen electric infrastructure against extreme weather conditions, implement enhanced vegetation management that falls under the utility’s purview and deploy devices to help prevent wildfires. 

The company also launched its Public Safety Power Shutoff program on July 1. It may be used as a last line of defense to help prevent utility-related wildfires, HECO said.

In standing up the PSPS program, Hawaiian Electric has seen that coordination with critical service providers and emergency responders and providing advance notice to the public are essential elements to ensure public safety, the utility said.

Also, HECO is installing 78 AI-enabled fire detection cameras and 52 weather stations and sharing data and access with fire departments and other agencies.

The origin-and-cause report is available on the website of the Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety website. The report is provided with redactions to protect the privacy of individual investigators and witnesses, pursuant to state and county laws and regulations, but also to respect the trust placed in MFD and ATF by those who offered their personal stories and information in support of this report. 

“Mahalo to the team from ATF for bringing their expertise to Maui to assist us with an extensive investigation into the fire,” said Mayor Richard Bissen. “They have dedicated hundreds of staff hours to the collection and review of evidence to provide us with a comprehensive report.”