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New volcano fissures force more evacuations on Hawaii’s Big Island

Steam rises from a new fissure in Puna, Hawaii, U.S. in this still image from video taken on May 8, 2018. Apau Hawaii Tours/Social Media via REUTERS

By Terray Sylvester

PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – Emergency crews ordered Hawaii residents to leave their homes after two new fissures opened up near the Kilauea volcano, almost a week after it started a series of huge explosions.

People in the Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood in the southeast corner of Big Island were told there was an “immediate danger”.

“The residents … are going through a very difficult time. We ask for your understanding. We ask for your help,” the Hawaii Civil Defense Agency said in an alert.

Deposits are seen on a road in Puna, Hawaii, U.S. in this still image from video taken on May 8, 2018. Apau Hawaii Tours/Social Media via REUTERS

Kilauea started spewing fountains of lava as high as 300 feet (90 meters) into the air on Thursday. Walls of molten rock destroyed houses in the southeastern corner of the island as deadly volcanic gases rose through cracks in the earth.

Around 1,700 people have already been ordered to leave their properties. No deaths or major injuries have been reported. But two new fissures – the 13th and 14th – formed on Tuesday and started releasing toxic gases, the agency said.

A total of 36 structures have been torched by the lava, which can reach temperatures of 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,093 degrees Celsius).

Lava has been bubbling out of about 2-1/2 miles (4 km) of fissures that officials have warned are slowly spreading eastwards.

On Friday, the southeastern corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano’s south flank, the strongest since 1975, and more quakes and eruptions have been forecast, perhaps for months to come.

Kilauea has been in a state of nearly constant eruption since 1983.

(Reporting by Terray Sylvester in Hawaii; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

Fissures spread from Hawaii volcano, threatening more homes

Lava is seen from a fissure appearing behind a resident's backyard in Puna, Hawaii, U.S. in this still frame taken from May 6, 2018 video obtained from social media. KEITH BROCK/Social Media via REUTERS

By Terray Sylvester

PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – Emergency crews said they were poised to evacuate more people as fissures kept spreading from Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano, five days after it started exploding.

Around 1,700 people have already been ordered to leave their homes after lava crept into neighborhoods and deadly volcanic gases belched up through cracks in the earth.

Lava engulfs a Ford Mustang in Puna, Hawaii, U.S., May 6, 2018 in this still image obtained from social media video. WXCHASING via REUTERS

The evacuation zone could now grow as fissures are spreading into new areas on the eastern side of the Big Island, Hawaii Civic Defense Administrator Talmadge Magno told a community meeting

“If things get dicey, you got to get out,” he said. “If you live in the surrounding communities … be prepared. Evacuation could come at any time.”

Kilaueax has opened 12 volcanic vents since it started sending out fountains and rivers of lava on Thursday, officials said. Lava was not flowing from any of the vents on Monday.

Resident Heide Austin said she left her home just west of the current eruption zone after noticing small cracks appearing at the end of her driveway.

One eruption near her home “sounded like a huge blowtorch going off,” said the 77-year-old who lives alone. “That’s when I really got into a frenzy.”

Many of the evacuated people were permitted to return home during daylight hours on Sunday and Monday, during a lull in seismic activity.

Residents of a second area, Lanipuna Gardens, were barred from returning home on Monday due to deadly volcanic gases.

Leilani Estates, about 12 miles (19 km) from the volcano, was evacuated due to the risk of sulfur dioxide gas, which can be life threatening at high levels.

Puna district residents attend a community meeting during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano at Pahoa High and Intermediate School in Pahoa, Hawaii, U.S., May 7, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

No deaths or major injuries have been reported. At least 35 structures had been destroyed, many of them homes, officials said.

The southeast corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano’s south flank on Friday. More earthquakes and eruptions have been forecast.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has been in constant eruption for 35 years.

(Reporting by Terray Sylvester; Editing by Andrew Heavens)

‘Go now’, Hawaii residents warned as eruptions spread

Lava advances along a street near a fissure in Leilani Estates, on Kilauea Volcano's lower East Rift Zone, Hawaii, the U.S., May 5, 2018. U.S. Geological Survey/Handout via REUTERS

By Terray Sylvester

PAHOA, Hawaii (Reuters) – Emergency authorities battling lava flows and gas erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano told some residents to “Go now” as a new fissure opened and more structures were destroyed.

Kilauea has destroyed 26 homes and forced 1,700 people to leave their residences since it erupted on Thursday, spewing lava and toxic gas from volcanic vents in a small area of Hawaii’s Big Island.

A new fissure spraying lava fountains as high as about 230 feet (70 m), according to United States Geological Survey, is shown from Luana Street in Leilani Estates subdivision on Kilauea Volcano’s lower East Rift Zone in Hawaii, U.S., May 5, 2018. US Geological Survey/Handout via REUTERS

A new fissure opened on Sunday night in the Leilani Estates area some 12 miles from the volcano, prompting a cellphone alert for residents to leave homes to avoid sulfur dioxide gas, which can be life threatening at high levels.So far no fatalities or major injuries have been reported from the volcano, according to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.

Evacuees from Leilani Estates were allowed to return for pets, medications and to check property on Sunday, but some like Jeremy Wilson found homes surrounded by fissures that can be hundreds of feet long.

“My house is right in the middle,” said Wilson, who turned back in his car when he saw steam coming from cracks in the road ahead.

The semi-rural wooded area of Leilani Estates had become a magnet for newcomers to Hawaii’s Big Island who were prepared to risk living near to an active volcano in return for more affordable real-estate prices.

Eruptions of lava and gas were expected to continue, along with aftershocks from Friday’s 6.9 magnitude earthquake, the largest in the area since 1975, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. A lava flow advanced 0.6 of a mile from one of the vents.

Lava emerges from the ground after Kilauea Volcano erupted, on Hawaii’s Big Island May 3, 2018, in this still image taken from video obtained from social media. Jeremiah Osuna/via REUTERS

Geologists said the activity looked like an event in 1955 when eruptions continued for 88 days in the area and covered around 4,000 acres with lava.

Jessica Gauthier, 47, said she and other local realtors had seen vacation renters cancel their reservations, even though the volcanic activity is confined to a relatively isolated area far from tourist centers.

“There’s no way to know that if you’re sitting in your living room in Ohio and watching the national news,” she said.

Gauthier predicted business would pick up as a new kind of visitor began to appear.

County workers deliver cots and blankets to an evacuation center in Pahoa available to residents of the Puna communities of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens who were forced to leave their homes after the Kilauea Volcano erupted on Thursday in Hawaii, U.S., May 4, 2018. REUTERS/Terray Sylvester

“Within a month we’ll start getting lava tourists,” she said of people who come to Hawaii to see its active volcanoes.

Hawaii County authorities requested lava watchers keep away.

“This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area,” the civil defense agency said in a statement.

(Reporting by Terray Sylvester; Writing by Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Toby Chopra)

Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano erupts, forcing hundreds to evacuate

An ash cloud rises above Kilauea Volcano after it erupted, on Hawaii's Big Island May 3, 2018, in this photo obtained from social media. Janice Wei/via REUTERS

(Reuters) – Hundreds of people were under an evacuation order on Friday after the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island came to life, belching ash into the sky and spewing fountains of lava in a residential area, officials said.

Lava emerges from the ground after Kilauea Volcano erupted, on Hawaii’s Big Island May 3, 2018, in this still image taken from video obtained from social media. Jeremiah Osuna/via REUTERS

The volcano, one of five on the island, erupted on Thursday after a series of earthquakes over the last couple of days, including a 5.0 tremor earlier in the day, the U.S. Geological Survey reported on its website.

Residents in the Puna communities of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, home to about 1,700 people, were ordered to evacuate after public works officials reported steam and lava spewing from a crack, according to the county’s Civil Defense Agency.

Two emergency shelters were opened to take in evacuees, the Civil Defense Agency said, while Governor David Ige activated the Hawaii National Guard to provide emergency response help.

“Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe,” he said on Twitter to residents living near the volcano.

No injuries or deaths were reported.

Resident Ikaika Marzo told Hawaii News Now that he saw “fountains” of lava as high as 125 feet (38 m). Other residents also told the news network that they smelled burning brush and heard tree branches snapping.

Lava spurts from the ground as emergency vehicles block a road near Kilauea Volcano after it erupted, on Hawaii’s Big Island May 3, 2018, in this still image taken from video obtained from social media. Maija Stenbeck/via REUTERS

The Hawaii Fire Department reported extremely high levels of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas detected in the evacuation area, the Civil Defense Agency said.

Footage from a drone aired on the Hawaii News Now website showed lava incinerating trees as it crept near structures.

A 492-foot-long (150 m) fissure erupted with lava for about two hours in Leilani Estates at about 5:30 p.m. local time, the Hawaii Volcano Observatory said on its website.

Lava, which can reach temperatures of about 2,100 Fahrenheit (1,150 Celsius), spread less than about 10 m (33 ft) from the fissure, the observatory said.

“The opening phases of fissure eruptions are dynamic and uncertain. Additional erupting fissures and new lava outbreaks may occur,” it said.

A plume of red ash rose from the volcano’s Pu’u ‘O’o vent high into the sky over the island, according to photos on social media.

The Puna Geothermal plant was shutting down, according to local media, while Hawaii Electric Light said crews were disconnecting power in the areas impacted by the active lava flow.

The Kilauea Volcano has been erupting nearly continuously for more than three decades. Lava flows from the volcano have covered 48 square miles (125 sq km), according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

Local officials closed volcano viewing areas while a portion of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park was also closed.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Peter Graff)

Indonesia shrinks danger zone around grumbling Bali volcano

Mount Agung volcano erupts as seen from Kubu, Karangasem Regency, Bali, Indonesia, December 1, 2017.

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia shrank the exclusion zone around a grumbling volcano on the resort island of Bali on Thursday after fears of an imminent eruption, allowing farmers to return to their homes.

The 3,000-meter Mount Agung remains on alert for a major eruption, but officials said the danger zone around the crater would be reduced to a six-km (four-mile) radius from 10 km.

“Mount Agung remains in an eruption phase and could affect settlements. All parties are urged to remain cautious,” Agung Pribadi, press relations officer at the natural resources ministry, said in a statement.

The volcano has been spewing lava and ash since late November, when authorities raised the alert status to the highest.

Bali airport was closed for three days, leaving thousands of tourists stranded and prompting others to cancel their year-end holiday plans.

(Reporting by Wilda Asmarini; Writing by Kanupriya Kapoor; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Volcanic explosion on Mount Etna injures 10 people

FILE PHOTO A tourist stands in front of Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano, as it spews lava during an eruption on the southern island of Sicily, Italy February 28, 2017. REUTERS/Antonio Parrinello/File photo

ROME (Reuters) – Ten people were injured in an eruption on Mount Etna on Thursday when magma flowing into snow caused a violent explosion that sent stones and rocks flying into the air, emergency services said.

Amongst those hurt near the summit of Etna on the island of Sicily were members of a television crew filming for the BBC.

“Running down a mountain pelted by rocks, dodging burning boulders and boiling steam – not an experience I ever ever want to repeat,” the BBC’s science correspondent Rebecca Morelle wrote on Twitter.

“BBC team all ok – some cuts/ bruises and burns. Very shaken though – it was extremely scary,” she said.

Italian officials said six people had to be taken to hospital, but none were in a serious condition.

Etna is Europe’s most active volcano. After a quiet couple of years it burst into action in February with repeated explosive eruptions that sent orange plumes of lava into the air.

Thursday’s explosion was the result of a so-called phreatomagmatic eruption, caused by magma hitting water — in this case snow.

(Reporting by Crispian Balmer; editing by Richard Lough)

Scientists Concerned About Changes On Hawaii’s Volcanoes

Small earthquakes and changes in the level of the lava lake are causing concern for scientists monitoring Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano.

“Activity at the summit of Kilauea Volcano continues to change, as shown by a pronounced drop in the level of the lava lake within Halema’uma’u Crater, a change in the summit area deformation pattern, and the concentrated earthquake activity in the southern part of the caldera and upper Southwest Rift Zone” spokespersons with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a recent press release.

The pressure inside the volcano is to the level that an eruption is possible. Sensors monitoring the ground show that there is deformation in the surrounding rock.

“The magma storage system within Kilauea is highly pressurized at this time, and future changes in the location of unrest, and the potential for eruption could unfold quickly (in days to hours),” said spokesmen with the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

But it’s not just Kilauea that’s becoming a focus. Mauna Loa is also showing activity that indicates magma is on the move.

The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that Mauna Loa is showing inflation in the Southwest Rift Zone and summit areas. There have also been minor earthquakes in the same area.

The scientists say the activity at Mauna Loa is lower than before eruptions in 1975 and 1984, however, the volcano has had periods of activity since 1984 without an eruption that has allowed pressure to continue to build within the mountain.

The HVO said they do not know how much pressure is involved or how much pressure the surrounding rocks can take before magma would move to the surface.

Indonesia Volcano Erupts

A volcano in Eastern Indonesia erupted Friday, sending hot ash into the air and surprising hikers all over the mountain.

Officials say that nine people were injured and at least one person is missing as the hot ash continues to fall on the mountain.

A spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency said that Mount Gamalama sent a plume of smoke over 6,500 feet into the sky. Slow moving lava has been moving down the peak but no evacuation orders have been issued to surrounding villages.

The airport in Ternate, about 20 miles from the volcano, has been forced to close. Schools and offices were also closed and evacuated because of the ash.

Mount Gamalama, located on the Pacific Ring of Fire, had its last major eruption in 2012.

Volcano Destroys Two Villages In Cape Verde

Two villages have been destroyed in Cape Verde and a forest reserve is threatened by the massive eruption of the Pico do Fogo volcano.

Fire brigade chief Arlindo Lima told Sky News that 1,500 people fled their homes before the lava destroyed the villages of Portela and Bengeira on Fogo Island.

“The lava front, (which was) more than 500 metres north of outlying houses in Bangeira a week ago, has swept over much of the village and continues to move forward,” Chief Lima told Sky News.

The country’s interior minister is calling on residents to not panic despite the fact “the eruption was very fast.”

“There’s a whole local economy and a whole way of life that the volcano has claimed in the space of just 22 days,” Arlinda Neves, a local journalist, said after the villages of Portela and Bangeira were destroyed. “It’s more than a century and a half of history that has literally been wiped out.”

Officials are warning those in the village of Fonsaco to be prepared to leave as the lava flow moves toward their homes.

Lava Projects To Cut Pahoa In Half

As the lava flow from Kilauea continues to progress into the town of Pahoa, city officials are being informed by scientists that it’s likely the town will be cut in half if the lava continues its current path.

The flow is expected to reach Pahoa Village Road late Wednesday, cutting off one of the two major roadways where residents can escape the lava flow. The second road, Highway 130, is only half a mile from the Pahoa Village Road.

Officials say they are resisting mandatory evacuation orders despite the lava igniting a tire fire at a dump in the flow path. The toxic smoke from the fire is reportedly blowing away from residential areas.

Matt Patrick of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the flow is moving erratically and is causing problems for forecasters trying to predict path and speed.

The lava’s pace had picked up when it reached a gully. The flow could then move like rain in a gutter.

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