National
A new report on the Maui wildfires cites communications breakdowns
Search and rescue team members work in a residential area devastated by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 18, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP
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Jae C. Hong/AP
Search and rescue team members work in a residential area devastated by a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, on Aug. 18, 2023.
Jae C. Hong/AP
HONOLULU — As wildfires ripped across Maui last August, the head of the emergency management agency dragged his heels about returning to the island amid the unfolding crisis, while a broad communications breakdown left authorities in the dark and residents without emergency alerts, according to a report released Wednesday.
Communications problems were also encountered by the Hawaiian Electric Company, with officials unable to confirm that power lines were de-energized until well after the flames had caused widespread damage, the Hawaii Attorney General’s report said.
It is the second of two major assessments out this week of the deadliest U.S. wildfire in a century. A report released Tuesday by the Western Fire Chiefs Association detailed the unprecedented challenges facing the Maui Fire Department during an unprecedented series of blazes, including one that killed 101 people in the historic town of Lahaina.
The new report says that five days before the fire, meteorologists issued a dire warning that strengthening winds resulting from a hurricane south of Hawaii could create an extreme risk of wildfires across the islands on Aug. 8. “Confidence in the development of critical fire weather conditions this many days away is quite rare, and we believe that this warrants a heads up to you,” a National Weather Service forecaster said in an email to Hawaii fire contacts on Aug. 3.
The attorney general’s report is the first phase of a comprehensive assessment that includes a timeline of the 72 hours before, during and after the fire. It says investigators relied on “all known available facts” related to the fire and to the steps that local, state and federal agencies took to prepare for dangerous fires.