Police are asking for the public’s help in their investigation of 10 suspicious fires in west Hawaii that have burned hundreds of acres over the past two months.
The fires were along Kaiminani Drive, in the vicinity of Ane Keohokalole Highway; the area north of Puuanahulu along Hawaii Belt Road and the 6-mile marker; and in the area of the 49-mile marker on the Daniel K. Inouye Highway.
The rash of fires began Jan. 20 with a 200-acre brush fire on the mauka side of Ane Keohokalole Highway about half a mile north of Kaiminani Drive.
On Feb. 11, police and firefighters responded to a report of a brush fire on the north side of the Daniel K. Inouye Highway near the 49-mile marker. As emergency personnel were working to extinguish that blaze, three additional brush fires were reported along Route 190, in the areas of the 17-mile marker, the 15-mile marker, and the 14-mile marker.
Three more fires were reported Feb. 17, each on the mauka side of Route 190.
Two other fires were extinguished Feb. 18, on Route 190 near the Old Saddle Road intersection, and on Wednesday, on the south side of Kaiminani Drive near Ane Keohokalole Highway.
Detectives along with Hawaii County fire inspectors have deemed the blazes as suspicious in nature and continue to investigate their cause.
The Hawaii Police Department asks members of the public who frequent Hawaii Belt Road, especially in the areas of Kaiminani Drive in the vicinity of Ane Keohokalole Highway, the Daniel K. Inouye Highway in the vicinity of the 49-mile marker, and Route 190 between the 6-mile marker and the 14-mile marker, to be aware of the recent fires and to report any suspicious activity in the area immediately to police at 935-3311. Anyone with any information about the cause of the fires is asked to contact Detective Levon Stevens, at 326-4646, ext. 275, or Levon.Stevens@hawaiicounty.gov.
Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide CrimeStoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000.
