A series of arrests at an iconic tourist spot in Hawaii has led to a stark warning from officials. 

At least 14 people have recently been caught trying to scale the Haiku Stairs on the island of Oahu which are only accessible via hazardous hike through a remote region.

Now travelers are being warned against visiting the fabled destination, with hikers being told that visiting the area is ‘incredibly disrespectful’. 

The forbidden destination, also known as the ‘stairway to heaven,’ was built by the US Navy during World War II but construction was halted after the completion of more than 4,000 steps. 

‘It’s incredibly disrespectful and self-centered for anyone to be on the Haiku stairs, or on the Middle Ridge Trail,’ Jason Redulla, chief of Hawaii’s Division of Conservation and Resources (DOCARE), told CNN. 

‘It’s been made abundantly clear that these areas are off-limits for safety and natural resource protection reasons,’ Redulla said. 

Given the abundant dangers surrounding the stairs, he believes that unless people heed the warning ‘someone is going to get hurt or killed.’

DOCARE revealed that all of the people who have been arrested for visiting the Haiku Stairs in the past week have been charged with criminal trespassing, which is a misdemeanor that can result in as many as 30 days in jail.

On September 3, eight of the 14 tourists were apprehended, although at this time it is unclear if they were travelling together. 

‘It is dangerous for people to enter the construction zone and dangerous for them to try to descend the ridge,’ Redulla cautioned. 

‘They need to think about the consequences if someone gets hurt, or worse, and needs rescue,’ he added. 

Redulla further observed that the lonely ridge would be a ‘difficult’ place for first responders to reach.

The Haiku Stairs were officially closed to the public in 1987, but the steps have remained a fixture of the local environment.

Over the past decade, influencers have brought further attention to the perilous destination.

Daring Youtubers and Instagrammers have posted videos of themselves climbing and descending the narrow stairs.

DOCARE told CNN that the hikers managed to access the steps with the help of climbing ropes. 

For the local community, the stairs represent something of a nuisance- a landmark that has led to trespassers, higher security costs, and dangerous rescues of injured hikers.

As a result, the Honolulu City Council voted to remove the steps in 2021. Since then, sections of the stairs have been gradually removed by helicopters.