Hawaii volcano LIVE in pictures: Kilauea volcano erupts - staggering images
STAGGERING images show the sheer scale of the Hawaiian Kilauea volcano as monte lava and hazardous fumes continue to spew from giant fissures that have broken out on Big Island. Here are the latest images live.
Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted on Thursday, sending a burning flow of red hot lava gushing onto the streets.
Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens residents were forced to evacuate as the molten liquid made tracks towards their home, as lava fountains began spewing out of the ground.
The Hawaii Civil Defense said 35 structures -- including at least 26 homes -- had been destroyed and a total of 12 fissures have formed, including two on Monday.
The eruption came after hundreds of earthquakes jarred the island’s eastern side. It was followed by a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday.
One amazing image shows as a new fissure opened up in Leilani Estates, sending with looks like firework sparks into the air as the lava fountains exploded.
Some 12 fissures have now formed in the region, with many still seeing huge lava explosions.
Elsewhere, cracks in the roads have began to appear - with the USGS recording the gaps are getting larger by the day as seismic activity continues.
Another image shows the boiling lava lake at the volcano’s summit near Pahoa, with smoke billowing out the gaping hole as the lava burns a fiery red below.
Fiery bright orange lava from Kilauea flows through Hawaii
One particularly dramatic image shows a home being engulfed by massive flames as the structure was overtaken by the lava.
And another shows as a silver Ford Mustang is engulfed by lava, as the thick, black molten rock crashes over the vehicle.
Resident Brandon Clement, 38, captured the amazing time-lapse video from the dash-cam on his car.
He said he saw flames shoot up in the air as a huge mound of lava started crawling toward a nearby home.
"It looked like the movie 'Blob,' but on fire," he said in an interview on Monday from Hawaii.
The molten lava keeps spewing on Hawaii's Big Island, swallowing up whole homes as fears grow of more destruction to come.
So far, som 26 homes have been destroyed and experts and that number could keep growing.
"The intermittent eruption of lava in the Leilani Estates subdivision in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano continues," the US Geological Survey said.