{"id":2003251,"date":"2023-08-17T01:24:02","date_gmt":"2023-08-17T05:24:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/videos-put-scrutiny-on-downed-power-lines-as-possible-cause-of-deadly-maui-wildfires\/"},"modified":"2023-08-17T01:32:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-17T05:32:05","slug":"videos-put-scrutiny-on-downed-power-lines-as-possible-cause-of-deadly-maui-wildfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/videos-put-scrutiny-on-downed-power-lines-as-possible-cause-of-deadly-maui-wildfires\/","title":{"rendered":"Videos raise concerns about downed power lines as potential cause of deadly Maui wildfires."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvideos-put-scrutiny-on-downed-power-lines-as-possible-cause-of-deadly-maui-wildfires%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2003251&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Deadly Wildfire in Maui: A Preventable Tragedy<\/h2>\n<p>Awakened by\u2062 howling winds that tore through his Maui neighborhood, Shane Treu\u200c went out at\u200b dawn and witnessed a horrifying scene. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/videos-put-scrutiny-on-downed-power-lines-as-possible-cause-of-deadly-maui-wildfires\/\" title=\"Videos raise concerns about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/millions-without-power-in-texas-energy-prices-climb\/\" title=\"Millions Without Power In Texas; Energy Prices Climb\">downed power lines<\/a> as potential cause of deadly Maui wildfires.&#8221;>wooden power \u2064pole suddenly snapped<\/a> with a flash, \u2064sparking and popping as the power line\u2063 fell to the dry grass below. Within moments, a row of flames ignited, threatening to engulf\u200b everything in its\u2064 path.<\/p>\n<p>Quickly,\u2063 Treu called 911\u200c and \u2064began livestreaming his brave attempt to fight the blaze in Lahaina. Armed with a garden\u2062 hose, he desperately tried to wet down his property,\u2062 all while documenting the unfolding disaster on Facebook.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cI heard \u200b\u2018buzz,\u200b buzz,\u2019\u201d the 49-year-old resort worker recounted to The Associated\u200b Press.\u200c \u201cIt was almost like\u2064 somebody lit a firework. It just ran straight\u200b up the hill to a bigger pile of\u2062 grass and then, with that high wind, that fire was blazing.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Key Evidence \u2063Points to Fallen Utility\u2063 Lines<\/h3>\n<p>Little did Treu know that his video, along with others, would become crucial evidence in the investigation of\u200b the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century. The footage\u2064 strongly suggests that fallen utility lines may \u200chave been the cause of\u200b the tragedy. \u200cHawaiian Electric Co. now faces criticism for failing to shut off the power despite <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/denver-airport-delays-or-cancels-769-flights-citing-high-winds\/\" title=\"Denver Airport Delays Or Cancels 769 Flights, Citing High Winds\">high wind warnings<\/a> and the toppling of numerous poles.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cuomo-to-partially-reopen-indoor-dining-in-nyc-for-valentines-day-if-positivity-rates-hold\/\" title=\"Cuomo To Partially Reopen Indoor Dining In NYC For Valentine\u2019s Day, \u2018If Positivity Rates Hold\u2019\">class-action lawsuit<\/a> \u200bhas already been filed, seeking to hold the company accountable for the deaths of more than 100\u2063 people. The\u2063 suit highlights the utility&#8217;s \u200down documents, which reveal their awareness of the effectiveness of preemptive power\u2062 shutoffs \u2064in preventing wildfires, a strategy employed in \u2062California but never\u2063 adopted in Hawaii.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cNobody likes to turn the power off\u2014it\u2019s inconvenient\u2014but\u2064 any utility that has significant wildfire risk, especially wind-driven wildfire risk,\u200b needs to do\u2064 it and needs to have a plan in place,\u201d said Michael Wara, a wildfire expert\u200d from Stanford University. \u201cIn this case, the utility did not.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Hawaiian Electric declined to comment on the accusations in \u2063the lawsuit or their history of shutting down power due to high winds. However, President and CEO Shelee Kimura acknowledged the complexity\u2064 of the decision, considering the impact on individuals relying on medical equipment and firefighters needing power for water pumps.<\/p>\n<p>Maui Police Chief John Pelletier expressed frustration at the news conference, highlighting the contradictory complaints from the public. Some demanded earlier power shutoffs, while others lamented the lack of communication due to disrupted cellphone and internet services.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cDo you want notifications or \u200ddo you want the power shut off?\u201d he said.\u200d \u201cYou \u200cdon\u2019t get it both ways.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Video Footage as Crucial Evidence<\/h3>\n<p>Mikal\u200d Watts, one of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit, confirmed that he was in Maui, gathering witness testimonies and \u2064collecting contemporaneously filmed videos. He emphasized the credible evidence captured in the footage, particularly one video recorded by\u200b Shane Treu.<\/p>\n<p>Treu&#8217;s livestream, \u200bstarting just minutes after the\u200d first report of the fire, shows the initial response of authorities and the dangerous presence of live power lines. Treu can be\u2063 heard warning officers about the hazards\u200d as he bravely fights the flames with his garden\u200b hose.<\/p>\n<p>Another neighbor, Robert \u200cArconado,\u2062 also recorded videos\u2063 that provide \u200badditional evidence. Arconado&#8217;s footage shows a lone firefighter heading towards the spreading flames as they moved downhill and downwind towards the center of \u200dtown.<\/p>\n<p>While Treu\u2063 and Arconado&#8217;s homes were spared, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/anti-diver-combat-dolphins-deploying-in-black-sea-whales-and-seals-also-being-trained-report\/\" title=\"Report: Combat dolphins deployed in Black Sea for anti-diver operations; whales and seals undergoing training as well.\">satellite imagery reveals<\/a> the devastating destruction of\u2062 entire neighborhoods downwind from their location. \u200cExperts believe that multiple fires may \u200dhave been ignited in and around Lahaina on that fateful day, with no recorded lightning strikes or other natural causes to explain the blazes.<\/p>\n<h3>High \u2064Number of Live Wire Incidents<\/h3>\n<p>Robert Marshall, CEO of Whisker Labs, analyzed electrical grid \u200ddata from sensors installed throughout Maui. These sensors detect sparking power lines and recorded a concerning number of \u200blive wire incidents on the night of the fire and the following morning. These incidents, \u2064similar\u2064 to \u2064a\u200b series of circuit breakers tripping simultaneously, resulted in a significant loss of power.<\/p>\n<p>Marshall explained that \u2064while he couldn&#8217;t confirm if any of the sparks caused\u200d a fire, the sheer number of faults presented\u2064 numerous opportunities for ignition. The data suggests that any one of these faults could have \u2064been an ignition source for the\u2064 devastating wildfire.<\/p>\n<p>After the tragic Camp Fire in California, which claimed 85 \u200clives\u200c due to downed power lines, \u200bPacific Gas &#038; Electric \u200bpaid over $13.5 billion in compensation to fire victims. State regulators implemented new measures to prevent similar disasters.<\/p>\n<p>As\u2063 the investigation into\u200d the Maui wildfire continues, the video footage captured by brave individuals like Shane\u200c Treu and Robert Arconado serves as a stark reminder of the importance of\u2062 proactive measures to prevent such tragedies. The question remains: Could \u200dthis deadly fire have been\u200d avoided?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Shane Treu was jolted awake by fierce winds in his Maui neighborhood. At dawn, he witnessed a wooden power pole abruptly snap, sparking and causing power lines to fall onto dry grass. Flames quickly spread. Shane dialed 911 and began livestreaming the incident on Facebook video.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2003252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2003251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2003251"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2003251\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2003252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2003251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2003251"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2003251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}