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Hawaii County police are asking for anyone with information about the cause of five suspicious brush fires over the past two weeks to come forward.
The fires were located south of Puuanahulu along Hawaii Belt Road (Route 190) between the Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the 14-mile marker, police said.
A brush fire was reported at 3:33 p.m. Nov. 25 on the mauka side of the Hawaii Belt Road near mile marker 14 in Kona.
The fire had spread north from the mauka side of the roadway toward the Daniel K. Inouye Highway about 4 miles east and 2 miles north along Hawaii Belt Road.
On Nov. 26 at 3:54 p.m., another brush fire burned about 150 acres of vacant land on the mauka side of Hawaii Belt Road in the mile marker 16 area of Puuanahulu and spread south toward Puu Lani Ranch subdivision.
At 5:50 a.m. Nov. 28, a brush fire was reported near the 16-mile marker in Puuanahulu.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which burned an undetermined amount of vacant land.
At 4:23 p.m. Monday, yet another brush fire was reported on the makai side of Hawaii Belt Road around the 24-mile marker in Puuanahulu. That burned about 2,000 square feet of vacant land.
And at 6:28 a.m. Wednesday a brush fire was reported on the mauka side of Hawaii Belt Road in the area of mile marker 17 in Puuanahulu. Upon arrival, firefighters extinguished the blaze, which burned about 4,800 square feet of land.
Police and fire inspectors have determined the fires to be suspicious and continue to investigate their causes. Anyone who spots anything suspicious along the Hawaii Belt Road, especially between the Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the 24-mile marker, is urged to call police at 935-3311. Anyone with information on the above fires is asked to contact Detective Levon Stevens at 326-4646, extension 275, or at lstevens@co.hawaii.hi.us
Anonymous tipsters may call CrimeStoppers at 961-8300 or 329-8181.
