PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • September 2, 2023
The direct cause of the Maui fire was poor maintenance of the power transmission lines that served the Lahaina area. This included old, thin, sagging posts for the lines, miles of uninsulated live wire and the accumulation of dense, invasive grasses that were allowed to cover the hillsides above the town. Local residents and officials had been warning, for years, that these conditions were a threat, but little was done about them. The fire had little to do with climate change or fossil fuel companies and everything to do with poor local policy decisions. It would be helpful if there were more journalistic skepticism about expansive claims and connections. ~ Martin Jones, Freeport