JOHN BURNETT/ HAWAII TRIBUNE-HERALD
The front of the former Calvary Chapel Hilo building was damaged when a banyan tree uprooted and fell on the building on July 12. The fallen tree also killed two women who were trapped and crushed beneath the massive tree.
The state Department of the Attorney General is investigating the circumstances surrounding the collapse of a large banyan tree that killed two women July 12 on Kilauea Avenue in Hilo, according to Andrew Laurence, spokesperson for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The trunk of the tree was on state land previously used as a parking lot at the mauka end of Wailoa State Recreation Area, overlooking Wailoa Pond. The site is now cordoned off to the public, and DLNR Land Division said in August that future use of the property is “not certain.”
The massive canopy of the tree crashed across Kilauea Avenue, closing off all four lanes of the busy crosstown thoroughfare for a couple of days and damaging the roof of a building on an adjacent Kamehameha Schools property that had been leased for services by Calvary Chapel Hilo.
The building sustained extensive damage and remains closed.
“Kamehameha Schools has agreed to the church’s request to end its lease early at the Wailoa location,” officials with the educational trust said Thursday in an email. “We continue to consult with industry experts to assess the best path forward to resolve the issues related to the damaged building.
“We extend our heartfelt prayers and mahalo to the clergy and members of Calvary Chapel Hilo who have shown a tremendous amount of resilience as they look to stand up a new location for their congregation.”
Don’t miss out on what’s happening!
Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It’s FREE!
As of Oct. 5, Calvary Chapel Hilo was holding services at the Puna Seventh-day Adventist Church on Kaloli Drive in the Hawaiian Paradise Park subdivision. Seventh-day Adventists hold their worship services on Saturdays.
Police on Friday also confirmed the identity of the second woman whose remains were recovered from the debris of the downed tree as 48-year-old Michelle Katrina Noelani Comer of Keaau. Comer, who had been identified earlier by friends and family of the victims, was positively identified by DNA comparison, according to police.
The other victim was previously identified as 35-year-old Trisha Almazan, also of Keaau.
The forensic pathologist ruled the cause of death for both victims as “mechanical asphyxiation” and the manner of death as accidental.
A GoFundMe page (808ne.ws/3KEYinU) organized by Almazan’s sister, Savana Moore, with the headline, “Lay Trisha and Michelle to Rest with Love,” has exceeded its $10,000 goal but is still accepting donations. Moore thanked those who donated and asked those who wish to attend a celebration of life for the women to contact her for more information.
The fall of the tree and its tragic aftermath has sparked concerns that other banyans, including the signature trees on Hilo’s Banyan Drive and those in Big Island parks — as well as other types of trees — could pose a risk to life and property.
The county’s Department of Parks and Recreation has put out a bid proposal for coconut/palm tree maintenance, trimming and removal, if necessary, islandwide, according to Tom Callis, spokesman for Mayor Kimo Alameda.
Ashton’s Landscape and Tree Service has completed maintenance work for $16,900 at Ahualani Park in Hilo’s Waiakea Uka neighborhood, and has work in progress on a $62,000 contract for maintenance at James Kealoha Beach Park, also known as “Four Mile” beach, on Hilo’s Keaukaha shoreline.
Requisitions have been submitted to the county’s Purchasing Division for tree safety and maintenance work at Carlsmith Beach Park in Keaukaha, Lili‘uokalani Gardens on Hilo’s Waiakea Peninsula and Honokaa Sports Complex.
