The long-awaited independent investigation into the Maui wildfires will be released on April 17, state Attorney General Anne Lopez announced on Monday.

What You Need To Know

  • Phase One of the report was originally expected to be released this month but was delayed by Maui County’s insistence that subpoenas be issued before departments released requested information or participated in interviews with investigators, according to the state attorney general
  • Phase One will include a comprehensive timeline of events. Phase Two will provide a scientific analysis of how the incident unfolded over the first 24 to 72 hours of the fire and its aftermath, as well as recommendations for the future

  • AG Anne Lopez said she understands the public’s need to know what happened during the deadly disaster but said it was necessary to assure that the investigation was “thorough and accurate”

  • The report was prepared by the Fire Safety Research Institute, generally recognized as the top fire-safety science organization in the world

The Phase One report, which will arrive more than eight months after the disaster that took 101 lives, displaced thousands of residents and continues to reverberate through the local economy, was originally expected to be released this month but was delayed by Maui County’s insistence that subpoenas be issued before departments released requested information or participated in interviews with investigators, according to the AG.

The report was prepared by the Fire Safety Research Institute, generally recognized as the top fire-safety science organization in the world. Phase One will include a comprehensive timeline of events. Phase Two will provide a scientific analysis of how the incident unfolded over the first 24 to 72 hours of the fire and its aftermath, as well as recommendations for the future.

“The FSRI research team encountered unexpected delays when gathering the critical facts for review, which had a direct impact on the rescheduled Phase One report release date,” the AG’s office stated in a release issued on Monday.

According to the office, the attorney general served subpoenas to Maui Emergency Management Agency, the Maui Department of Public Works and the Maui Department of Water supply seeking documents relevant to the investigation.

“The County of Maui stated that subpoenas would be required for all further information, including documents and interviews with county personnel,” the release stated. “As a result, the Department has needed to serve upon County of Maui agencies and officials, eight additional subpoenas for documents and 53 additional subpoenas for interviews, to date.”

Lopez said she understands the public’s need to know what happened during the deadly disaster but said it was necessary to assure that the investigation was “thorough and accurate.”

“An analysis of this magnitude cannot be rushed, and we must allow for the time needed to make sure this investigation, based on science, is done correctly,” she said. “I am confident that the Phase One report will provide some answers to the questions surrounding the tragic wildfire incident. The scope of this investigation is unprecedented and will help us work together to create a safer Hawaii.”

FSRI started its work on Maui in August 2023.

“Our team appreciates the willingness of community members, firefighters, police officers and other emergency workers to share information and their experiences as the wildfires started and began to spread,” said FSRI vice president and executive director Steve Kerber. “Being able to review all of the data, which is extensive, has a tremendous impact on the comprehensive analysis of the fire incident and our recommendations to make Hawaii a safer place to live, work and play.”

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.