Hawaii volcano eruption: First serious injury reported
May 20, 2018
Lava from the erupting Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island has now blocked a highway and entered the ocean, officials said. A man was also seriously injured after his leg was struck by lava.
Image: Reuters/T. Sylvester
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Hawaii's Kilauea volcano eruption causes weeks of destruction
Kilauea's lava flows have threatened thousands of people's homes in rural Hawaii. Over 40 buildings have been destroyed so far by the eruptions, with experts unsure of when the volcano will calm down.
Image: Reuters/T. Sylvester
Lava meets the sea
Lava from the Kilauea volcano pours into the ocean from Hawaii's main island, while volcanologist Jessica Johnson monitors the developments.
Image: Privat
Lava meets geothermal plant
A lava flow from the Kilauea volcano approaches the Puna geothermal power plant on Hawaii's Big Island. The plant, which provides 25 percent of the island's electricity, has been shut down due to the encroaching lava. It is believed to be the first time a lava flow has forced the closing of a geothermal plant.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
One of the world's most active volcanos
Kilauea, which is one of the most active volcanos in the world, has been erupting, oozing lava, and spewing toxic gases for weeks on Hawaii's Big Island. Experts aren't certain when Kilauea will calm down again.
Image: Reuters/T. Sylvester
Kilauea starts smoking on May 3
Around 2,000 people were evacuated from the area around the Kilauea volcano after it erupted and a lava fissure opened on May 3. In the weeks that followed, new eruptions and lava streams threatened the homes of residents located miles away.
Large streams of lava rising up from huge cracks in the earth threatened neighborhoods located near the volcano. The molten rock spilled over on to streets and has destroyed over 40 homes and other buildings.
Image: Reuters/Handout/USGS
Poisonous gasses and glass particle steam
Thousands of residents voluntarily left their homes due to high levels of toxic sulfur dioxide gas that spewed out of vents in the volcanic fissures. Officials also warned residents not to go near the lava that has poured into the ocean — the phenomenon causes the formation of clouds of hydrochloric acid and steam carrying fine glass particles.
Image: Reuters/T. Sylvester
Massive damage to roads
The eruptions and volcanic fissures created massive damage to roads and highways. Two lava streams crossed over a main coastal highway that is used as an escape route for residents.
Image: Reuters/USGS
Playing golf with an ash cloud
Other locals and tourists took a more relaxed approach to the volcanic eruptions. A group of people finished playing a round of golf while others take pictures of a massive ash cloud spewing from Kilauea.
Image: Getty Images/M. Tama
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Over two weeks after the Kilauea volcano began sending poisonous gas and lava into neighborhoods on Hawaii's Big Island, the lava began flowing into the ocean late Saturday.
Officials also warned that the lava has cut off a key highway and cautioned residents to stay far away from the molten rock as it hits the ocean.
Officials are currently tracking at least three flows of lava, two of which have entered the ocean.
One lava stream blocked Highway 137 while the other is only a few hundred meters away. The highway serves as an escape route for residents living on the coast of the Big Island.
Authorities have closed the highway at certain points and were working on Sunday to clear another road that had been previously blocked by lava in 2014 to serve as an alternative escape route.
The National Guard in Hawaii has warned it may issue mandatory evacuations if more roads in the area become blocked.
Kilauea releases massive plume
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First eruption-related injury: A man sustained serious injuries to his leg after he was hit with lava while sitting on a third-floor balcony. The so-called lava spatter — airborne molten rock — shattered the man's leg from his shin down to his foot.
Janet Snyder, a Hawaii County spokesperson, said that so-called lava spatters "can weigh as much as a refrigerator and even small pieces of spatter can kill."
Steer clear of 'laze': The Hawaii County Civil Defense warned residents not to go near the lava that is currently hitting the ocean, as it produces hazardous "laze." The phenomenon sends "hydrochloric acid and steam with fine glass particles into the air" and can cause lung damage as well as eye and skin irritation.
New eruption: Around midnight, another large explosion occurred at the volcano's summit, sending up an ash plume that was nearly two miles (3.2 kilometers) high. An earlier eruption produced a 9,000 meter ash plume. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanos whose erupting lava can reach up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,093 degrees Celsius). The lava streams have already destroyed 44 homes and buildings.
No signs of slowing down: Geologists have warned that hotter and fresher magma may be on the way. They've said the fresher, hotter magma from Kilauea's summit could run underground and emerge 25 miles away in the lower Puna district where dozens of homes have already been destroyed by older, cooler lava.
