Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is violently spewing lava up to 200 feet in the air and firing out lava bombs the size of refrigerators in apocalyptic scenes with six of 22 fissures active on Friday. The latest in more than two weeks of eruptions has sent fresher, hotter lava speeding towards an isolated residential area, and officials are using helicopters to see if there is anyone still there that needs assistance, Hawaii News Now reported. Residents who have already evacuated the affected area have been told not to try and return home, and emergency services and the national guard are being sent to secure the area and stop people re-entering.
Fissures 15, 17, 18, 20 and the newly opened 21st and 22nd crack were spewing lava on Friday, and two more homes have been claimed with officials saying the amount of destruction caused would only increase. In the hardest-hit areas of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens, at least 325 acres of land has been covered by lava. While initial eruptions were sending lava from 1955 into the community, scientists have now established there is new lava flowing into Puna.USGS geologist Janet Babb told Hawaii News Now fresher lava could reach areas further away. 'With fresher, hotter magma, there's the potential that the lava flows can move with greater ease and therefore cover more area,' she said. A 'red level' of sulphur dioxide was recorded by Pahoa fire station, which means the gas coming from Kilauea could cause choking and an inability to breathe. Responders and residents still on the island are wearing gas masks to protect themselves from the toxic fumes.
