MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaiʻi Island police have initiated an arson investigation in connection with a fire Tuesday afternoon (February 2) in Ocean View.

At 5:50 p.m. Tuesday, Kaʻū District officers were assigned to a fire on the 92-8200 block of Bamboo Lane in Hawaiian Ocean View Estates. When they arrived, they found the house to be a total loss and learned that two women and two teenage boys had been inside when it caught fire. No one was injured.

At 6:45 p.m., police arrested James M. Thomas of Ocean View on suspicion of arson. He was also arrested on unrelated bench warrants and charged with violating terms of conditional discharged and two counts of contempt of court. He is being held at the Kona police cellblock while detectives from the Area II Criminal Investigations Section continue the arson investigation.