Hawaii’s Big Island Kilauea volcano erupts, evacuations in place

HAWAII’S Big Island has been hit by another earthquake, forcing up to 10,000 people to evacuate.

Locals have been asked to leave their homes following the eruption of the Kilauea volcano that came after a series of recent earthquakes.

“Department of Public Works reports steam and lava emissions from a crack in Leilani Subdivision in the area of Mohala Street,” the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency wrote in a Facebook post.

An official added the zone is home to about 10,000 people, and was a “mandatory evacuation.” US Geological Survey authorities of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory unit were both on the ground and headed into the air to assess the eruption, which began around 4.45pm local time.

At 10.30am a 5.0 magnitude earthquake south of the Puu Oo volcano cone triggered rockfalls and potential collapse into a crater on the volcano, according to USGS.

Drone footage of the lava shows how it has emerged from the ground, spilling near homes in the Leilani Estates.

Leilani Estates is approximately an hour away from Volcanoes National Park. It is a subdivision in the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea volcano, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense asked residents in Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens to evacuate to a local community centre.

About 1,700 people in the Leilani Estates area are under the evacuation order, according to Cindy McMillan, the governor’s spokeswoman, said.

“A short-lived plume of ash produced by this event lofted skyward and is continuing to dissipate as it drifts southwest from Puu Oo,” an advisory from USGS said, warning that “anyone downwind may experience a dusting of ash.”

Authorities said hazards linked to the ongoing eruptions could include “potentially lethal concentrations of sulfur dioxide gas” in the zone as well as methane blasts that could propel large rocks and debris in adjacent forested areas.

Governor David Ige had activated the archipelago state’s National Guard troops, and told residents to pay heed to warnings from the Civil Defense Agency.

“Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe,” Ige wrote on Twitter.

“I urge residents in Leilani Estates and the surrounding areas to follow instructions. ... Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe,” he tweeted.

A local community centre was open to residents impacted by the threat, Hawaii’s emergency management agency said.

The evacuation comes after hundreds of earthquakes shook the eastern side of the Big Island.

Video and photos of the eruption have emerged on social media.

Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It’s located in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has since closed off nearly 15,700 acres due to “the possibility of a new eruption and unstable geologic activity.”

But most of the park remains open, the park said in a statement.

“The recent eruption changes and increased seismicity around the East Rift Zone and Pu‘u ‘Ō‘ō vent may threaten land and the community outside the park. The partial closure in the park is necessary to prevent unsafe travel onto lands under the jurisdiction of Hawai‘i County and to keep people safe,” Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said.

“Most of the park, which is 333,308 acres in size, remains open,” she said, though the current eruption at Puu Oo is off limits to hikers.