The Maui-based water tanker company that was delayed several hours while officials consulted with local farmers on a request to help fight the massive Central Maui wildfire says that the lengthy delay adversely affected response times to the fire, according to a statement released by the company on Tuesday.
The company, which had requested a water supply from a nearby reservoir in order to help in quelling the blaze, said that when the request was made, it was informed that Maui County officials then needed to consult with local farmers about potential impacts to their water supply before allowing access to the water in the reservoir. As a result, several hours passed before the access was granted, leading to the company’s extensive delay in getting the water to the scene of the fire.
The company noted that it could not speculate as to why the access to the reservoir took so long, but it did state that the delay had a negative effect on the firefighting effort.
The Central Maui wildfire was eventually extinguished, but the company said that its delay in getting water to the scene had a direct impact on the duration of the fire and the level of destruction it caused.
