Deadly Maui Fire Started from Blaze Authorities Thought Was ‘Fully’ Extinguished, But Then Rekindled: Officials

Mar. 15, 2025

Zeke Kalua/County of Maui via AP

The report stated that authorities found that the cause of that fire “was the re-energization of broken utility lines which caused the ejection of molten metallic material (sparks) to fall to the base of pole 25, igniting the unmaintained vegetation below."

“Additionally the arcing and severing of the energized overhead power line between pole 25 and 24 resulted in that line falling to the ground, subsequently igniting vegetation below,” the report continued.

Per the report, about 102 people were killed and two remain missing as a result of last year’s fire, which also caused $5.52 billion in damages.

Homes and businesses lay in ruins after devastating wildfire swept through Maui in August 2023.Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

At a press conference on Oct. 2, in Wailuku, MFD Chief Brad Ventura said: “In sum, the origin and cause of the Lahaina fire is clear: the re-energization of broken power lines caused sparks that ignited unmaintained vegetation in the area.”

“We want to make abundantly clear to the community that our firefighters went above and beyond their due diligence to be as confident as they could be that the fire was completely extinguished before they left the scene,” added MFD Assistant Chief Jeffrey Giesea.

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At the time, the Maui fire was considered as one of the deadliest in U.S. history, per data fromfrom the National Fire Protection Association(NFPA).

Amanda Bratton, a Lahaina resident, told PEOPLE last yearthat her community had been devastated.

“Our whole town is gone. Our jobs are gone. Our house is gone,” she said then. “Our cars are gone and our whole community is just, I mean, it’s the entire town. So it’s like I’ve never seen anything this tragic since 9-11. It’s like, what do you do when you weren’t expecting your entire town, all the buildings and businesses and houses, to just be wiped out?”

For inforrmation on how to make a donation to the relief effort, clickhere.

source: people.com