Deadly fires ease, anger grows over Iberia's 45 fire deaths

Portugal began three days of national mourning Tuesday over its 41 wildfire deaths amid widespread public anger, with pressure growing on the government to explain why officials failed to prevent the tragedy that came just four months after 64 others died in another fast-moving blaze.

Carlos Martins, 61, stands among burnt cars in his car paint shop in the village of Pinheiro dos Abracos near Oliveira do Hospital, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

Rain and lower temperatures on Tuesday helped emergency teams in Portugal and Spain bring under control most of the fires that raged over the weekend. In Galicia, in northwest Spain, four people died.

Portuguese authorities reported that almost all major wildfires were out by Tuesday morning. Some 2,700 firefighters were deployed to prevent re-ignitions in the country's smoldering forests.

Investigations were underway to find the cause of the late-season wave of hundreds of forest fires, which Iberian officials blamed mostly on arsonists and freak weather conditions. Temperatures on the Iberian Peninsula exceeded 30 C (86 F) over the weekend and the area was raked by high winds as Hurricane Ophelia churned past in the Atlantic.

A burnt house stands next to others that were spared by a wildfire near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

"We are ready to extinguish fires, but we are not ready for arsonists," Spanish Environment and Agriculture Minister Isabel Garcia Tejerina told public broadcaster TVE.

In Portugal, opposition parties rebuked the government for what they called a lack of preparedness.

The Civil Protection Agency's full fire-fighting contingent operates only during the traditional peak wildfire season, which runs from July 1 to Sept. 30. In October, its fire-fighting assets are reduced by half.

Still glowing embers in a burnt down car paint shop in the village of Pinheiro dos Abracos near Oliveira do Hospital, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

Critics say the state of readiness must be more flexible, especially when Portugal is gripped by drought and its weather patterns are affected by climate change.

Prime Minister Antonio Costa, who has rejected calls for members of his government to resign over the fire deaths, called a special meeting of his Cabinet for next Saturday to discuss fire-fighting measures.

"This is not a time for resignations, this is a time for solutions," Costa said.

A burnt trailer sits next to a house near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. Wildfires in Portugal killed at least 27 people, injured dozens more and left an unconfirmed number of missing in the country's second such tragedy in four months, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

But public outrage is simmering. Local governments in the worst-hit areas, aided by a social media campaign, are organizing silent street protests in Lisbon and in their own towns and cities to coincide with the Cabinet meeting.

In Galician towns on Monday, angry residents chanted "Never again!" to protest the deadly wildfires.

A plastic sheet covers a car in which an elderly couple was killed caught by a wildfire in the village of Relvas near Santa Comba Dao, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

A house is framed by its burnt gate near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. Wildfires in Portugal killed at least 27 people, injured dozens more and left an unconfirmed number of missing in the country's second such tragedy in four months, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

A villager checks a burnt area under the rain in Soutomaior after a wild fire in Pontevedra, northwestern Spanish region of Galicia, Spain, Monday, Oct. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Lalo R. Villar)

A burnt car in which an elderly couple was killed lies by the side of the road at the entrance of a small tunnel where it was caught by a wildfire in the village of Relvas near Santa Comba Dao, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

Burnt cars sit next to a house near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. Wildfires in Portugal killed at least 27 people, injured dozens more and left an unconfirmed number of missing in the country's second such tragedy in four months, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

A house burns in the village of Pinheiro dos Abracos near Oliveira do Hospital, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

A burnt warehouse where two brothers were killed trying to salvage their belongings is seen in the village of Vale Maior, near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

Inocencia Rodrigues, 64, walks among the debris of the burnt shed where she raised chickens and pigs in the village of Sao Joaninho near Santa Comba Dao, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017.  (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

Burnt signs stand by the road near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. Wildfires in Portugal killed at least 27 people, injured dozens more and left an unconfirmed number of missing in the country's second such tragedy in four months, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

A dog moves among the debris of a burnt warehouse near Penacova, northern Portugal, Monday, Oct. 16 2017. Wildfires in Portugal killed at least 27 people, injured dozens more and left an unconfirmed number of missing in the country's second such tragedy in four months, officials said Monday. (AP Photo/Sergio Azenha)

HONOLULU (AP) — Had emergency responders known about widespread cellphone outages during the height of last summer's deadly Maui wildfires, they would have used other methods to warn about the disaster, county officials said in a lawsuit.

Alerts the county sent to cellphones warning people to immediately evacuate were never received, unbeknownst to the county, the lawsuit said.

Maui officials failed to activate sirens that would have warned the entire population of the approaching flames. That has raised questions about whether everything was done to alert the public in a state that possesses an elaborate emergency warning system for a variety of dangers including wars, volcanoes, hurricanes and wildfires.

Major cellular carriers were negligent in failing to properly inform Maui police of widespread service outages, county officials said in the lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court against Verizon Wireless, T-Mobile USA, Spectrum Mobile and AT&T.

“We continue to stand with the Maui community as it heals from the tragic fires, but these claims are baseless,” T-Mobile said in a statement Thursday. “T-Mobile broadcasted wireless emergency alerts to customers while sites remained operational, promptly sent required outage notifications, and quickly contacted state and local emergency agencies and services.”

A Spectrum representative declined to comment, and the other carriers didn't immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.

A flood of lawsuits has come out since the deadliest U.S. wildfire in more than a century ripped through the historic town of Lahaina and killed 101 people.

Maui County is a defendant in multiple lawsuits over its emergency response during the fires. The county is also suing the Hawaiian Electric Company, saying the utility negligently failed to shut off power despite exceptionally high winds and dry conditions.

In Maui's latest legal action, lawyers for the county say if the county is found liable for damages, then the cell carriers' “conduct substantially contributed to the damages” against the county.

“On August 8 and August 9, 2023, while the County’s courageous first responders battled fires across the island and worked to provide first aid and evacuate individuals to safety, the County notified those in the vicinity of danger through numerous alerts and warnings, including through direct text messaging to individual cell phones,” the lawsuit said.

The county sent at least 14 alert messages to cellphones, warning residents to evacuate, the lawsuit said. The county later discovered all 21 cell towers serving West Maui, including in Lahaina, experienced total failure.

"As of the date of this filing, the Cell Carriers still have not reported to the County the true extent and reach of the cell service outages on August 8 and August 9, 2023, as they are mandated to do under federal law," the lawsuit said. “Had the Cell Carriers accurately reported to the County the complete and widespread failure of dozens of cell sites across the island as they were mandated to do by law, the County would have utilized different methods in its disaster and warning response.”

FILE - A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. Maui County is suing major cellular carriers for failing to properly inform police of widespread service outages during the height of last summer's deadly wildfire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

FILE - A general view shows the aftermath of a wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. The wildfires devastated parts of the Hawaiian island of Maui earlier this month. Maui County is suing major cellular carriers for failing to properly inform police of widespread service outages during the height of last summer's deadly wildfire. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)