PUNA, BIG ISLAND : Lava activity has paused at all 20 vents in Puna, but hazardous gases continue to pour from several fissures, according to USGS officials.
PUNA, BIG ISLAND : Lava activity has paused at all 20 vents in Puna, but hazardous gases continue to pour from several fissures, according to USGS officials.
Eruption from summit crater could trigger huge ash cloud, hurl boulders Amid ongoing eruptions, Big Island faces a daunting new problem.
New fissures have been opening daily in lower Puna, sending fountains of lava soaring into the air. In recent days, scientists have also confirmed that several older fissures are re-activating, coming alive with lava once again.
Since Sunday, six new fissures have opened up. And on Tuesday night, a previously dormant fissure number 6 became active again. By Wednesday morning, several older fissures were active and spattering lava.
Meanwhile, another fissure — no. 17 — produced a lava flow that was slowly carving its way toward the ocean. Since it opened over the weekend, it traveled about two miles, but officials said it had not advanced since Tuesday night.
The development underscores the scope of the disaster in the area, which has upended lives, destroyed homes and shows no signs of stopping.
Authorities are continuing to monitor for new outbreaks and say 20 have opened up since eruptions began on May 3.
While the newest eruptions weren't threatening any homes or roads, they did create quite a spectacle, creating loud booms that could be heard as far away as Hawaiian Paradise Park.
The latest eruptions also come amid rising fears about the threat of an explosive eruption at Halemaumau Crater.
On Wednesday, rocks were hurled from the summit crater. And on Tuesday, thick plumes of ash poured from Halemaumau, extending up to 12,000 feet above sea level and dropping ash as far as 18 miles downwind.
The threat of an explosive eruption prompted officials to close most of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on Friday. It's unclear when the park, one of the state's most popular tourist destinations, will reopen.
The emissions at Halemaumau sent ashfall across the Ka'u District.
"On our tables in our breezeway in our visitor center, you can't see it (ash), but if you run your hand across the table you can feel the grit so you know that's in the atmosphere, you're breathing that in," said Louis Daniele, manager for Kau Coffee Mill.
The spectacle as the summit comes as residents across lower Puna continue to grapple with ongoing eruptions.
Lisa Rios snapped a photo of lava lighting up the night sky in Nanawale Estates, which is across the highway from evacuated Leilani Estates.
"It sounds like a war zone," she said. "The sounds of the eruption were very eerie."
The scary scenes have prompted some to leave their homes voluntarily.
About 243 people are staying at three American Red Cross emergency shelters in Pahoa and Keeau. Hundreds more residents are staying with friends and family.
Mandatory evacuations, meanwhile, remain in place for the Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, home to about 2,000 people.
And authorities continue to urge thousands living elsewhere in Kilauea's east rift zone to be prepared to evacuate quickly.
Indeed, some residents have had minutes to flee from shooting lava or hazardous fumes.
That's what happened over the weekend, when police went door-to-door on Halekamahina Loop Road, waking up area residents and telling them to evacuate after a 17th fissure opened up to the west — or Kalapana side — of Highway 132.
A presidential disaster declaration has been issued for the ongoing Kilauea eruptions, which have changed the landscape of a Big Island community, destroying dozens of homes, covering roads and gobbling up utility lines.
So far:
- Some 37 structures have been destroyed, including 27 homes.
- Lava has covered more than 117 acres of land.
- At least nine roads are now impassable.
- As many as 50 utility poles have been damaged by the lava, and hundreds have been without - power since the eruptions started.
- Tina Neal, USGS scientist-in-charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said there's no's telling how long the eruptions will continue.
She added that there are growing fears that "hotter, fresher" magma could be making its way downslope. Eruptions of fresher lava would increase the risk of fountains and more significant flows, she said.
It's been nearly two weeks since the first eruption started at Kilauea's east rift zone. In addition to lava, hazardous fumes continue to pour from fissures.