Hawaiian Electric denies Maui lawsuit claims about cause of wildfire, shares surge

(Reuters) -Hawaiian Electric's shares jumped nearly 40% on Monday after the electric utility disputed accusations that its power lines caused the deadly wildfires in Maui earlier this month. Maui County sued Hawaiian Electric last week, accusing the utility of negligently failing to shut off power and causing the devastating fires that destroyed the coastal town of Lahaina and killed more than 114 people. Hawaiian Electric said its power lines were responsible for the earlier of two fires in Lahaina, but said the town was gutted by a different fire which started later in the afternoon and coul...