Maui Fire Department to release post-action report on deadly Hawaii wildfire

HONOLULU (AP) — The Maui Fire Department is expected to release a report Tuesday detailing how the agency responded to a series of wildfires that broke out on the island during a hurricane last August — including one that killed 101 people in historic downtown Lahaina. Death is also included. became The deadliest US wildfire In more than a century.

The release comes a day before the Hawaii Attorney General is expected to release the first phase of a separate sweeping investigation into the events before, during and after the August 8 fire.

The report may help authorities understand what happened when gusts of wind fanned the fire Historic Maui City Lahaina’s, largely destroy 3,000 properties and caused losses of more than $5.5 billion Estimated DamageAccording to state officials.

The Western Fire Chiefs Association prepared an after-action report for the Maui Fire Department. After-action reports are often used by military organizations, emergency response agencies, government entities, and even companies to help identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organization’s response to an emergency.

A similar action report was issued by the Maui Police Department in February. It included 32 recommendations to improve the law enforcement agency’s response to future tragedies, including the department receiving better equipment and deploying a high-ranking officer to the island’s communications center during emergencies.

Hawaiian Electric has acknowledged this Electrical wires fell and caught fire in Lahaina on the morning of August 8, but the utility company denied that the early morning fire caused the flames to spread to the city that day. but dozens of lawsuits Survivors and victims’ families Claim otherwise, saying that entities such as Hawaiian Electric, Maui County, large property owners or others should be held responsible for the damages caused by the inferno.

Most of the county’s firefighters were already busy fighting other wildfires in a different part of the island, their efforts sometimes being hampered. severe loss of water pressure The winds knocked out power to water pumps commonly used to load firefighting tanks and reservoirs. County officials have acknowledged that the lack of backup power for critical pumps has made it more difficult for crews to fight the upcountry fire.

A small fire brigade was tasked with dealing with any fires. outbreak in lahaina, The crew brought the fire under control in the morning and declared it extinguished, then stopped for lunch. By the time they returned, flames had erupted in the same area and were rapidly spreading to a larger subdivision. The fire in Lahaina was so severe that thousands of water pipes melted, making it unlikely that backup power for the pumps would have made any significant impact.

Police and power workers tried to move people away from roads that were partially or completely blocked due to power lines. Meanwhile, people are trying run away from a burning neighborhood Some main roads going in and out of the city were jam-packed.

When the fire engulfed them, some people were trapped in their cars due to the traffic jam. Others who were closer to the sea jumped into the rushing water to escape the flames.

Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.

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