Lawyers claim cable TV and phone companies are also responsible in Maui fires

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT, JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER and AUDREY McAVOY
Associated Press

HONOLULU (AP) — Lawyers for residents and business owners of the Hawaiian town devastated by last month’s fires on Maui told a court that cable TV and telephone companies share responsibility for the disaster. The attorneys made the statements Tuesday, saying the companies allegedly overloaded and destabilized some of the power poles. The lawyers said the cables were attached in a way that put too much tension on the poles, causing them to lean and break in the winds on Aug. 8 when flames burned down much of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and destroying more than 2,000 structures.