Hawaii volcano eruption live webcam: WATCH imminent explosion as USGS issues RED ALERT
HAWAII County authorities have warned a new explosion of the Kilauea volcano could be imminent as USGS issued an aviation red alert.
Terrifying footage shows Hawaii volcano SPEWS lava
USGS is warning there could still be an "explosive eruption" of the Kilauea Hawaii volcano, last seen in 1924.
The US scientific agency said pent-up steam could drive a 20,000-foot (6,100-meter) ash plume out of the crater.
This would spread debris over a 12 mile (19 km) radius.
Ash and volcanic smog spewing from the volcano also triggered a red alert for aircraft for the first time since the latest eruption began 12 days ago.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a red alert means a major eruption is imminent or underway and ash could affect air traffic.
Hawaii volcano eruption: USGS issues aviation red alert
This is a serious situation that affects the entire exposed population
Hawaii County officials have warned of toxic gas and urged residents to leave the area as it may cause suffocation.
They said: “Severe conditions may exist such as choking and inability to breathe.
“This is a serious situation that affects the entire exposed population.”
Ash is not poisonous but irritates the nose, eyes and airways. It can make roads slippery and large emissions could cause the failure of electrical power lines, said USGS chemist David Damby.
Aerial footage shows COLLAPSED crater floor in Hawaii volcano
Steve Brantley, a deputy scientist in charge at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), said: “We’re observing more or less continuous emission of ash now with intermittent, more energetic ash bursts or plumes.”
The observatory warned the eruption could become more violent.
“At any time, activity may become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent,” the HVO said in a statement on the change in aviation alert level to red from orange.
The latest fissure in the earth opened on Tuesday, spewing lava and toxic gases that pushed air quality into “condition red” around Lanipuna Gardens and nearby farms, causing “choking and inability to breathe,” the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory and Hawaii County Civil Defense said.
Summer hotel bookings on Big Island have dropped by almost half from last year, according to the Island of Hawaii Visitor Bureau.
One visitor who had planned to visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park before it was shut was exchange student Constantin Plinke.
The 24-year-old said: ”We had a big list of things to do and maybe 80 percent of them were in the national park. It's sad."