Tree on Army land falls into Wahiawa resident’s roof, punctures sons’ bathroom
“When she showed me the picture of it inside of our bathroom, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a lot more serious then I, then it originally came out to be,” Wahiawa resident Cole Marza… A tree from the same Army land fell onto a resident's roof and caused damage to their sons' bathroom. The incident occurred near Schofield Barracks East Range in Wahiawa, Hawaii. Residents have complained about trees falling onto their homes and causing damage for years. Cole Marzan, a former Army contractor, found the branch punctured their roof and sent an image from inside their sons’ bathroom. His neighbor, Cindy Clark, also experienced a similar incident in 2020 when a tree from same Army property fell into her garage and smashed her gutter. The Army Garrison responded by saying they are working on short- and long-term resolutions to address these concerns and are reviewing past work orders.
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WAHIAWA, Hawaii (KHON2) — Residents next to Schofield Barracks East Range said trees on Army land falling onto local homes and causing damage is an issue that has been ongoing for years.
One resident reached out to KHON2 using our Report It feature and asked for help.
Cole Marzan had already left for work when his wife heard a big boom on Wednesday morning. His wife went outside and sent him a picture that he was not expecting.
“That huge — it was probably about 25 feet — branch that came down,” Marzan said, “and then I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s that’s crazy, you know?'”
She then sent him an image from inside their 3- and 4-year-old sons’ bathroom, which showed the branch had punctured their roof.
“When she showed me the picture of it inside of our bathroom, I was like, ‘Okay, this is a lot more serious then I, then it originally came out to be,'” Marzan said.
Marzan’s neighbor Cindy Clark went through a similar situation in 2020 when a tree from the same Army land fell into her garage and smashed her gutter. No one was hurt in that incident either, but Clark’s concerns were heightened again after the recent incident.
“It’s not if, it’s when it’s going to hit and hurt somebody. So like as a neighbor, you’re supposed to be responsible for your own trees. So they’re kind of our neighbor and they should be responsible for their trees,” Clark said.
Even the Army-owned fence was — and still is — damaged in the 2020 incident, the barbed wire that is meant to keep folks out was crushed where the tree fell.
Marzan served 14 years in the Army and now works as a contractor on Schofield — he tried three different offices on Wednesday in search of a timeline of when the limb will be removed from his roof.
“And finally I came to the conclusion that I kind of just have to handle it on my own through my own insurance and the insurance will get reimbursed by the government somehow, probably in a year or two from now,” Marzan said. “I can’t have my kids playing back there or sleeping in their room knowing that more branches could come down.”
The Marzans are currently staying with family, but Cole does not want to move as a Wahiawa-born-and-raised resident — he just wants the tree out of his roof and reassurance that his community is safe.
“As much as I love my in-laws, yeah I can’t, I can’t stay with them forever,” he said. “I love my house. I’m not moving. I just want the tree cut! You know, and I want my neighbors taken care of.”
KHON2 reached out to the Army Garrison, which said they are working on short- and long-term resolutions to address these concerns and said through a statement:
“The U.S. Army Garrison is currently in communication with the impacted resident. The U.S. Army Garrison is diligently working to implement short-term and long-term resolutions to address concerns that have been raised. We appreciate the homeowner communicating with our team in the spirit of being good neighbors. The U.S. Army Garrison on Oahu has 21 installations, and maintaining the landscaping around our fences, borders, and perimeters is a consistent and annual work effort. We continue to look at existing contract options to address immediate vegetation concerns and to assess other trees along East Range fence. As far as the historical case referenced, our team is reviewing past work orders and checking on that specific property.”