Hawaiian volcanologists advise wider evacuations as violent lava flows engulf homes (VIDEOS)
Lava flows from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island have reached Highway 137, threatening to cut off the escape route from lower Puna. While there is no immediate threat to the public, lava discharge is quickening.
The flow of lava on parts of the Big Island is advancing at a pace of 1,000 feet per hour, the County of Hawaii Civil Defense announced on Saturday, noting that by the end of the day lava could cross Highway 137, which leads to the Puna district of the island.
“Residents should be aware that the lava flow is currently .8 miles from Highway 137 and, at the current rate, may cross the highway within the next four to seven hours,” Civil Defense said at 2pm local time.
One person who observed the eruption from his balcony was injured by a spatter of hot lava expelled from one of the volcanic cracks on Saturday.
“A homeowner on Noni Farms Road who was sitting on a third-floor balcony got hit with lava spatter,” said Janet Snyder, a spokesperson for the Office of the Mayor, County of Hawaii. “It hit him on the shin and shattered everything there down on his leg,” she said, warning that “even small pieces of spatter can kill.”
Earlier, a helicopter was deployed to airlift four people to safety, and at least four homes were destroyed in lower Puna on Friday night and early on Saturday morning.
“Residents between Kamaili and Pohoiki are advised to decide if they want to voluntarily leave the area at this time,” authorities added, while stopping short of ordering mandatory evacuations.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory continues to monitor the lava flows from some 22 cracks that have opened since May 3. As the lava is moving in the direction of MacKenzie State Park, locals are being advised to consider voluntarily evacuating.
However, some people have instead been flocking straight to the source, risking their lives to snap astounding and captivating pictures and videos of the natural phenomenon.
“There is much more stuff coming out of the ground and it’s going to produce flows that will move much further away,” said US Geological Survey scientist Wendy Stovall on a conference call with reporters, Reuters reports.
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