OCEAN VIEW, HI – Hawai‘i Island police are investigating a series of brush fires in the Hawaiian Ocean View Estates subdivision as arson, following multiple incidents deemed suspicious. The initial report, filed under report number 25-020417, details the unsettling events of Monday, March 3, 2025.
At approximately 1:15 p.m., the Hawai‘i Fire Department responded to a call reporting a brush fire along King Kamehameha Boulevard, between Luau Drive and Coral Parkway. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered that quick-thinking passersby had already extinguished three smaller fires in the immediate vicinity.
Just under two hours later, at 3:00 p.m., another brush fire was reported in the same general location. Fire crews swiftly brought this blaze under control, preventing any injuries or property damage.
The investigation into these incidents has uncovered a potential suspect. Witnesses reported seeing a dark-skinned man, dressed in brown shorts and shirtless, near the origin points of the fires. The man reportedly entered a white sedan that sped away from the scene, last seen heading east on Luau Drive. Authorities are currently working to identify the man and the make and model of the vehicle.
The fires have raised concerns about a possible connection to a residential fire that occurred on February 21, 2025, on Paradise Parkway, roughly a mile south of Monday’s brush fires. That fire completely destroyed a home and scorched surrounding brush. Investigators learned that the homeowner reported seeing a dark-skinned man on her property shortly before the fire erupted. While it’s unclear if this individual is the same man seen near the brush fires, the similarities are being explored.
“Both fires are actively being investigated by Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section and Hawai‘i Fire Department investigators,” stated a police press release.
Detective Donovan Kohara is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information regarding the fires or any suspicious activity witnessed in the area to come forward.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Donovan Kohara at (808) 960-3118 or via email at donovan.kohara@hawaiicounty.gov. Tips can also be reported to the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.
