Several important facts are clear about the events on Aug. 8:
A fire at 6:30 a.m. (the “Morning Fire”) appears to have been caused by power lines that fell in high winds.
The Maui County Fire Department responded to this fire, reported it was “100% contained,” left the scene and later declared it had been “extinguished.”
At about 3 p.m., a time when all of Hawaiian Electric’s power lines in West Maui had been de-energized for more than six hours, a second fire (the “Afternoon Fire”) began in the same area.
The cause of the devastating Afternoon Fire has not been determined.
