Powerline sparked deadly Lahania fire, Maui report finds

The Maui Fire Department on Wednesday released its third and final report on the fires that destroyed most of Hawaii’s Lahaina Town last year. The report found that the biggest fire was accidentally sparked in dry vegetation by the reenergization of a downed power line. After initially being put out, a second fire later rekindled at the boundary of the first fire, according to the final report. The rekindling was perhaps caused by a firebrand that went undetected during suppression, the report said. It’s also possible that suppression activities resulted in smoldering material being inadvertently moved into a dry creek bed.

The department released the first report in April, providing a timeline of the events surrounding the fire. The second report, released last month, discussed weather and infrastructure conditions as well as authorities' efforts to stop the fire and evacuate civilians. Wednesday’s report discussed the cause of the biggest of those fires.

What led up to the fire? Seasonal dry conditions and recent high winds dehydrated the island’s vegetation in the weeks leading up to the fires. Then, Hurricane Dora passed near the island, bringing high winds with it. Downed power lines and utility poles littered the island and rooves shorn from the tops of houses lay among toppled trees, the Maui Fire Department’s first report said.

Multiple fires broke out across the island on Aug. 8, 2023. But the biggest—which ended up destroying much of Lahaina Town—began at around 6:30 a.m. Sparks from a downed utility line lit up nearby vegetation, starting the blaze, Maui County said.

Authorities’ first report described the blaze as a fast-moving brush fire. Firefighters initially thought they put out the fire a few hours after it started because they couldn’t see any smoke in the sky, the second report noted. But dust may have clouded their vision and rocky crevices may have given portions of the blaze a place to rest and recuperate, the report added.

Soon after the firefighters left the scene, the terrain morphed into a hellscape. It devoured nearby vegetation and structures while crawling its way to the coast. Authorities battled the blaze while also attempting to evacuate residents from the town. Planning failures hindered evacuation efforts and resulted in the deaths of at least 102 people.

Dig deeper: Listen to Mary Muncy’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about efforts to rebuild Lahaina a year after the fire.