Hawaii Utility Soars After Pointing Blame for Fire at County

Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc. soared after the utility pushed back against a lawsuit filed by Maui County that accused the company of starting the deadly Lahaina fire, suggesting that county’s fire department may be responsible for losing control of the blaze.

While a fire on the morning of Aug. 8 was apparently caused by power lines falling in high winds, the second blaze that swept through the town of Lahaina in the afternoon started hours after Hawaiian Electric Co.’s power lines in the area had been turned off, the utility said Monday in a statement.