Bright flash and fire: Video suggests a tree fell on a power line, setting off the Maui blaze

As catastrophic wildfires destroyed Hawaiian towns killing more than 100 and displacing thousands of people, there have been several rumours and conspiracy theories on how it all started. As authorities continue investigations, a video suggests that power lines likely caused Maui's first reported fire, reportedThe Washington Post.

Jennifer Pribble, a senior research coordinator at the Maui Bird Conservation Center, said in a video posted on Instagram that at 10:47 pm (local time) last Monday (Aug 8), a security camera captured a bright flash in the woods.

In the video, details of which are mentioned in WaPo's report,a bright light can be seen illuminating the trees swaying in the wind. "I think that is when a tree is falling on a power line," she said, further adding that after that the power went out and the generator kicked in, and the camera came back online, the forest was on fire.

The report mentioned that Whisker Labs, a company that uses an advanced sensor network to monitor grids across the United States, said that Makawao recorded a significant incident in Hawaiian Electric's grid at the same moment.

This is the first time an electrical breakdown captured on film has been precisely matched with data proving that Hawaiian Electric's power system experienced a significant problem at the same time. The fire in Makawao was the first of several recorded on Maui last week.

Makawao is a small, rural town in the East Maui region of Upcountry and it is where the Conservation Center is located.

As quoted, Bob Marshall, the founder and CEO of Whisker Labs, said: "This is strong confirmation — based on real data — that utility grid faults were likely the ignition source for multiple wildfires on Maui.

🇺🇸 #Maui #MauiFire #MauiWildfire #DEW

Evidence of Direct Energy Weapons used in the Maui wild fires 🤔🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/pJcvyxx0aw — 𝕁𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕕 (@Jaded42358177) August 14, 2023

Another video has been circulated on social media forums in which a person named Shane Treu said that a wooden power pole snapped in an instant, sending a sparking, popping line crashing to the parched grass below and instantly igniting a line of flames.

The video and what Treu said was carried by The Associated Press, according to which, he called 911 and then turned on Facebook video to live stream his attempt to fight the blaze in Lahaina.

These videos show the first moments of the devastating wildfires, but according to the report, these videos have become a crucial piece of evidence implicating downed electricity wires as a potential cause. Hawaiian Electric Co. is under fire for failing to turn off the electricity despite warnings of strong winds and continuing to do so even as dozens of poles started to fall.

🔥🔥 New video from Shane Treu, local resident of Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii.

In the video, he shows a downed power-line on the boulevard that started a fire. He says the power was down after the line fell but then it “came back.”

At the end of the video he remarks that no fire… pic.twitter.com/BLDO9msU32 — {Matt} $XRPatriot (@matttttt187) August 14, 2023

Josh Green, the state governor, has repeatedly cautioned Hawaiians to prepare for a number that might be two or three times higher than the death toll from last week's conflagration in Lahaina, which is already the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century.

Watch:Maui wildfire is deadliest disaster; Governor says, 'we're prepared for many tragic stories'

Officials from Maui County revised the dead toll to 106 on Tuesday. Green had earlier stated that canines trained to sniff out bodies had investigated more than a fifth of the disaster area.

An AFP writer reported on Tuesday that the Maui Police Forensic Facility was forced to use chilled containers as makeshift mortuaries as the predominantly rural island struggled to handle the sheer quantity of fatalities.

(With inputs from agencies)

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