Big Island police investigating fatal house fire in Ocean View

Detectives from Hawai‘i Police Department’s Area II Criminal Investigation Section are investigating a structure fire that killed an elderly man early Sunday morning, Jan. 7, 2024, in Ocean View.  

Police and fire personnel were dispatched to a structure fire at 2:13 a.m., at a residence in the 92-1600 block of Aloha Boulevard in the Hawaiʻi Ocean View Estate subdivision.

Upon arrival, responding personnel found the entire structure engulfed in flames and determined that an elderly man who resided at the home was unaccounted for. After firefighters extinguished the flames, a severely burnt body was discovered in the remnants of the structure, according to a department press release.

The identity of the victim and the cause of the fire are under investigation. An autopsy has been ordered to determine the exact cause of death. 

The structure and contents, which had an estimated value of $150,000, were a total loss.

Anyone with information on the incident is encouraged to contact the police department or make an anonymous tip through Crime Stoppers.