Hawaiians fleeing lava, gas as volcano erupts
Lava threatens communities after volcanic eruption.
Residents of the Big Island are forced to evacuate after Thursday’s eruption of Kilauea.
A day after the most active volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii erupted, fountains of lava gushed out of the ground Friday on the eastern side of the island, where residents were forced to flee from threats of fires and “extremely high levels of dangerous” sulfur dioxide gas.
Kilauea erupted Thursday, sending white, billowing clouds of steam and volcanic ash into the sky and prompting emergency officials to order mandatory evacuations. Friday, authorities continued to warn residents to stay out of the area as molten rock shot high into the air from cracks in the ground in Leilani Estates, a subdivision in the Puna district.
The Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said there was “active volcanic fountaining” in the neighborhood, meaning the lava was springing up from ground fractures; reports indicated it was shooting 80 to 100 feet into the sky. The U.S. Geological Survey said at least three fissure vents have opened in the subdivision so far - and that more outbreaks are likely to occur along the rift zone.
At least two homes in the subdivision caught fire, Hawaii News Now reported.
As Kilauea roared to life, the deafening sound of grinding rocks echoed in the air and fiery red-orange lava could be seen spurting from the ground.
“It sounded like there were rocks in a dryer that were being tumbled around,” said Jeremiah Osuna, who lives near Leilani Estates. “You could hear the power of it pushing out of the ground.”
Emergency officials reported dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide in the evacuation area and warned: “Elderly, young, and people with respiratory issues need to comply with the mandatory evacuation order and leave the area.” Residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens were ordered to evacuate to two nearby community centers serving as shelters, and the state’s Department of Education announced that several schools would be closed due to “volcanic activity.”
A state of emergency was issued by the County of Hawaii’s acting mayor, and Gov. David Ige (D) issued an emergency proclamation and activated Hawaii’s National Guard to help with evacuations.
“Please be safe,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, wrote on Twitter.
Less than an hour after the eruption began Thursday, wailing warning sirens joined the cacophony, Maija Stenback, a resident of Leilani Estates, told The Post.
As dramatic as the sights and sounds were, the eruption and lava flow pose little threat to peoples’ lives, thanks to a monitoring and alert system in place for years.
“It’s been handled very well,” Stenback said. “Civil Defense has been saying they can’t predict it, but there’s a good possibility, so they made everybody very aware that this could happen. You know, pack a bag and be ready to leave.”
Kilauea is the youngest and most active volcano on Hawaii Island, according to USGS. The eruption from the volcano came hours after a 5.0-magnitude earthquake jolted the island on Thursday morning. Since Monday, the area has been rattled by at least 600 smaller quakes generated by magma flow from Kilauea, Janet Babb, a geologist with the Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory, told The Post.
“Earthquakes were happening every 10 minutes, it seems like. That was kind of unsettling,” Osuna told The Post, adding that it was “nerve-racking” not knowing exactly where the eruption would occur.
The event has been building for several days, Babb said, and the tremors were a sign that magma could break through the surface.