Full Notification

Hawai‘i Police Department
Area II Criminal Investigation Section
Detective Donovan Kohara
Phone: (808) 960-3118
Report No.: 25-020417

Media Release 

Hawai‘i Island police have launched an arson investigation after several brush fires started under suspicious circumstances in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision on Tuesday, March 3, 2025.
 
At 1:15 p.m., the Hawai‘i Fire Department received a report of a brush fire in the area of King Kamehameha Boulevard between Luau Drive and Coral Parkway. When fire crews arrived on scene they learned that three smaller fires had been extinguished by passersby prior to the arrival of fire personnel.
 
A little less than two hours later at 3:00 p.m., the Hawai‘i Fire Department received another report of a brush fire in the same general area as the earlier fires. This brushfire was also quickly brought under control and extinguished by responding fire crews. No injuries were reported and no property loss was sustained as a result of these brush fires.
 
During the course of the investigation into these brush fires, investigators learned that a dark-skinned man wearing brown shorts and no shirt was seen in the area of where the brush fires started. The man was observed entering into a white sedan that abruptly left the area and was last seen heading east on Luau Drive. The identity of the man, as well as the make and model of the sedan are unknown.
 
It is also undetermined if these brush fires are directly related to a February 21, 2025, residential fire that completely destroyed a home on Paradise Parkway and burned brush on adjacent properties. The March 3 brush fires took place a mile north of the structure fire in February. While investigating the February structure fire, police learned the homeowner reported seeing a dark-skinned man on her property shortly before the fire started. It is unknown if the man is the same man seen in the area of the March 3 brush fires.
 
Both fires are actively being investigated by Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section and Hawai‘i Fire Department investigators.
 
Anyone with information regarding these fires or anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity that maybe related to the fires is encouraged to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118; or via email at donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov. They may also contact the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.