Origin and Cause Report released today

The County of Maui Department of Fire and Public Safety (MFD), with the assistance of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), today released its Origin and Cause Report for the fire in Lahaina on August 8, 2023.

The fire, which claimed at least 102 lives and caused significant devastation throughout Lahaina, was determined to be one fire with a single origin and cause that proceeded in two distinct phases (morning phase of the fire and afternoon phase of the fire) throughout the incident. At 6:34 a.m., the fire originated off Lahainaluna Road in the unmaintained vegetation near utility pole 25 as a result of molten metallic material (sparks) ejected from the re-energization of broken power lines above. This morning phase of the fire was contained before 9:00 a.m. All available indicators showed the fire was fully contained and extinguished—no flames, no smoke, or perceptibly combusting material were observed for several hours.  

Despite diligent monitoring of the fire scene and deployment of significant resources, embers from the morning phase of the fire remained undetected and were rekindled by a severe wind event at approximately 2:52 p.m., marking the start of the afternoon phase of the fire.

“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,” MFD Chief Brad Ventura said today during the news conference at the Kalana O Maui building in Wailuku.

“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,” Assistant Chief Jeffrey Giesea said.

The fire is classified as Accidental—as opposed to Incendiary, Natural, or Undetermined.

Along with MFD’s Chief Ventura and Assistant Chief Giesea, Jonathan Blais, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Seattle Field Division, spoke at the press conference.

The Origin and Cause Report is the result of a successful collaboration with ATF’s Honolulu Field Office, Seattle Field Division and its National Response Team, which offered an unparalleled level of experience, state-of-the art equipment and highly qualified personnel. ATF personnel assisted MFD with data collection, photo and video analysis, and witness interviews during the weeks following the fires. ATF then consolidated and analyzed that information as the basis for its independent findings and conclusions, as well as its electrical examination, which are appended to MFD’s report. ATF shared all data and analyses with MFD, with the exception of electrical data, which the utility company provided only to ATF pursuant to a nondisclosure and confidentiality agreement. Because MFD was not granted access to this electrical data, it relies on ATF’s findings based on those materials.

Following its initial investigation in the weeks following Aug. 8, 2023, ATF returned to the fire scene for further investigation in April and May 2024. In June 2024, ATF met with MFD to review certain details and findings in its initial draft report. ATF returned to the fire scene in late July 2024 and early August 2024 for additional site visits and interviews as it completed its report. A draft was provided to MFD on Sept. 23, 2024, with a briefing to MFD on Sept. 25, 2024.

As of 1 p.m., the full MFD-ATF Lahaina Fire Origin and Cause Report can be found on the County of Maui website, https://mauicounty.gov/1460/Fire-Public-Safety, and the ATF website, https://atf.gov.

The Origin and Cause Report is provided with redactions to protect the privacy of individual investigators and witnesses, pursuant to state and county laws and regulations, but also to respect the trust placed in MFD and ATF by those who offered their personal stories and information in support of this report.

“Mahalo to the team from ATF for bringing their expertise to Maui to assist us with an extensive investigation into the fire,” said Mayor Richard Bissen. “They have dedicated hundreds of staff hours to the collection and review of evidence to provide us with a comprehensive report.”

To view the full press conference, visit the County of Maui Facebook page.

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