Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Eruption: Lava Destroys 35 Buildings

PAHOA, HI — Hawaii's Kilauea volcano continues to wreak havoc on the surrounding communities, with authorities reporting that at least 26 homes — and 35 buildings in all — have now been destroyed. Furthermore, the county civil defense agency says at least 10 fissure vents in the ground have opened up as of Sunday night, including two that opened late Saturday.

"There's no sign of slowing down," Talmadge Magno, civil defense administrator, told reporters Sunday.

In a bit of good news though, seismic activity stemming from the eruption fell on Sunday, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Vents in Leilani Estates are still shooting lava through the lower Puna subdivision on the Big Island, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported, though county police reopened a section of Highway 130.

About 1,800 residents in Leilani Estate and Lanipuna Gardens were ordered to evacuate, though Leilani Estates residents are allowed to temporarily return to their homes between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. each day to gather belongings such as medicines, pets and other vital property. Limited access is making it difficult for residents to get back to their homes.

"It's probably little bit more than half the subdivision, the area that they can access," he said. "It's just a bottleneck."

There are also residents still in their homes who chose not to evacuate, Magno said.

"It's less than a dozen. But it kind of surprised me. But they definitely were not within that real hot zone, that's for sure," he said.

Dangerous gases emanating from the volcano could be an even greater public health hazard, officials warn.

Sunday was the first day since the eruption that residents were allowed to return and the Star-Advertiser reported they had to brave long wait times at checkpoints so authorities could verify their residency.

Resident Greg Webber, one of the people who refused to evacuate, told USA TODAY he watched eight homes in his neighborhood burn down.

“I won’t leave until it’s an inch from my house,” he said. “I’ve been through this a million times.”

Other residents told The Washington Post the land belongs to the Hawaiian volcano goddess Pele and that she has come to reclaim what's rightfully hers.

“The way I kind of look at it is, the land doesn’t really belong to us. It belongs to Pele,” said realtor Jordan Sonner. “We get to live on it while we can, and if she wants it back, she’ll take it. I have good insurance.”

Video shows slow moving fiery, smoky, molten lava flowing into the Leilani Estates neighborhood and blocking streets. Unassuming houses sit dangerously nearby, in the path of the lava.

Vents in the ground emit a sound similar to the roar of ocean waves, USA Today reported, hurtling lava up to 230 feet into the air, scorching vegetation in its path.

Kilauea erupted Thursday, gushing fountains of lava and sending a plume of steam and volcanic ash into the sky. The eruption has set off hundreds of earthquakes, including a magnitude-6.9 temblor, which was the strongest to hit the island in more than four decades.

County officials issued a state of emergency declaration. Democratic Gov. David Ige issued an emergency proclamation and has activated the state's National Guard to assist in evacuations.

County police and prosecutors say there's a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to looting or vandalism. Looters and vandals will face felony charges.

Numerous GoFundMe accounts have been established for neighbors. Click here if you'd like to donate.

Lava from one of the fissures near the base of Mount #Kilaeua invaded this neighborhood, tearing down these palm trees as lava sparked heights of over 200 feet: https://t.co/04cB7AQXyQ pic.twitter.com/QRFHGl3lIz
— Jackson Dill (@Jackson_Dill) May 7, 2018

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Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images