At 1:39 a.m. on Friday, March 4, 2022, Hawai‘i Police Department received a report from staff at a Hilo hotel of a possible fire at a nearby vacant property located at 87 Banyan Drive.

When police and fire personnel arrived they determined the south side of the structure was engulfed in flames on all four levels.

Police personnel ensured that neighboring structures/hotels were aware of the fire. There were no signs of anyone trapped in the burning structure or in need of help and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

Banyan Drive was temporarily closed due to fire and police vehicles on the road and traffic was diverted. The road was reopened shortly after 5 a.m.

The fire was contained to the structure with damage estimated at $2,025,000. The cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time. Police ask that anyone with information regarding this incident to call the police department’s non-emergency line at (808) 935-3311. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call the islandwide Crime Stoppers number at 961-8300 and may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000. Crime Stoppers is a volunteer program run by ordinary citizens who want to keep their community safe. Crime Stoppers doesn’t record calls or subscribe to caller ID. All Crime Stoppers information is kept confidential.