HILO, Hawaii (KHON2) — An iconic banyan tree that toppled over in Hilo on Saturday is still being cleaned up by crews.
Hawaiʻi County Mayor Kimo Alameda said the area could be closed for two to three more days as crews find ways to clear the nearly 100-foot tree.
“We’re looking at another two days, three days max,” Alameda said. “Our job is to restore power, and open the road up because there’s businesses here and we want to make sure they don’t lose too many customers.”
The tree came toppling down Saturday evening without warning. Some residents said it sounded like an explosion as it cracked and hit the ground near Wailoa Pond on Kilauea Ave. in south Hilo. The weight of the tree snapped utility poles like toothpicks.
Alameda went to survey the area Saturday night.
“Our job is public safety so immediately our crews came out and our Public Works director came out and stabilized the situation,” he explained. “He brought in tree trimming companies because this banyan tree is like 100 trees put together.”
He said about 10 vehicles were damaged and about 10 utility poles were knocked down.
“It just fell, it’s not like we had high winds or any heavy rains yesterday,” Alameda said. “This is the third tree that I know of, in my lifetime, that has just fallen like this in the last six years, so it does raise some concerns about the other banyan trees on our island.”
Thankfully, no injuries were reported. Alameda said he’ll talk to arborists next and department heads to figure out what went wrong so it doesn’t happen to any of Hilo’s other infamous banyan trees.
“We have Banyan Drive, which is known for its banyan trees, there’s like 40 there, around the same age so it’s a lot of concern,” he said.
Until he speaks with experts, he said the tree could have fallen for any reason like disease, lack of trimming, or having an unstable root structure.
The tree has grown over the years and has stretched from state land to Kamehameha Schools land where the Calvary Church is located. The church posted on social media that services were canceled on Sunday, and they were unable to look at the damage. Alameda said he didn’t know the extent of the damage yet on Sunday afternoon, but said the damage could be significant.
On Sunday, HECO crews were able to restore power and communication companies were working on the scene.
Others said they will miss seeing the tree that stood tall there for generations.
“This is like a gathering place for many of us in Hilo, so this is definitely a sad occasion actually,” Alameda added.
People are asked to avoid the area while crews work.