US House panel asks Hawaiian Electric CEO to testify in wildfire probe

Reuters
Thu, September 14, 2023 

The shells of burned houses and buildings are left after wildfires in Lahaina

(Reuters) -The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee on Thursday asked utility company Hawaiian Electric CEO Shelee Kimura to testify at a hearing investigating the causes of the wildfire that killed at least 115 people and razed the historic town of Lahaina.

The hearing will take place on Sept. 28 in Washington before the panel that started a probe last month into one of the deadliest wildfires in the United States in more than a century.

Along with Kimura, the committee also summoned officials of the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission and the Hawai’i State Energy Office.

Last month, the panel sent letters to Hawaiian Electric as well as state utility officials, seeking information about the wildfires.

“As we have done with all the inquiries regarding the events of August 8, we stand ready to share what we know about what happened on Maui," a company spokesperson said, adding that Kimura would testify.

Hawaiian Electric's shares rose about 1%.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy and Sourasis Bose in Bengaluru; Editing by Pooja Desai)