A comprehensive report released Wednesday by local and federal investigators has confirmed that the devastating wildfire that swept through Hawaii last year, killing 102 people and causing an estimated $5.5 billion in damages, was caused by a downed power line.
According to officials from both the Maui Fire Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the fire that ravaged the island on August 8 originated from a single source, and its cause has been deemed accidental.
The investigators identified the fire as having two distinct phases—one in the morning and another in the afternoon—but ultimately traced it back to a single incident. It all began at 6:34 a.m. when damaged utility lines were re-energized, sending molten metallic material—essentially sparks—falling to the base of pole 25.
This ignited the overgrown, unmaintained vegetation below. Once the fire had started, the report states, the combination of highly flammable grasses and strong winds accelerated its spread, particularly affecting the town of Lahaina in West Maui.
The Maui Fire Department’s detailed report noted that after the initial blaze was addressed in the morning, firefighters believed they had successfully extinguished the flames. "All available indications showed the fire fully contained and extinguished—no flames, no smoke, and no perceptibly combusting material had been observed for hours," the report stated.
However, despite the firefighting team’s best efforts, smoldering material went undetected. At 2:52 p.m., embers from the initial fire ignited vegetation in a nearby gully, leading to the catastrophic afternoon phase of the fire.
The ATF report, appended to the Maui Fire Department’s findings, echoed this conclusion, affirming that the blaze was accidental and ruling out any intentional human involvement or natural causes, such as lightning.
In response to the report’s release, Assistant Maui Fire Chief Jeffrey Giesea emphasized that no blame should be placed on the firefighters who initially responded.
"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," Giesea said, underscoring the extraordinary efforts made by first responders in what were incredibly challenging conditions.
Yet, despite the clarity provided by the report, state and local officials remain under heavy scrutiny for their handling of the disaster. Survivors have criticized the chaotic evacuation procedures, with some alleging that police inadvertently worsened the situation by blocking roads leading away from the fire, contributing to traffic jams and delaying escape.