Eruptions on Hawaii’s Big Island spew lava, toxic gas; Governor issues presidential disaster declaration request

Since beginning on May 3, the eruption of Hawaii's KÄ«lauea Volcano has destroyed dozens of homes, forced hundreds of mandatory evacuations and dispersed dangerous sulfur dioxide gas.

After a brief pause in volcanic activity on Monday night and Tuesday morning, two fissures split open in Leilani Estates on Tuesday afternoon.

An emergency alert was sent shortly after the fissures were discovered, ordering people in the area to evacuate immediately. These vents were spewing lava and hazardous fumes.

Each of these two new fissures have paused as of 6 a.m. Wednesday local time. However, they continue to emit hazardous gas.

On Wednesday afternoon, a new vent opened up and began erupting in Lanipuna Estates, bringing the total number of fissures up to 15. That eruption has since paused as of 6 a.m. Thursday.

Officials with Volcanoes National Park announced that most of the park "will close Friday due to the possibility of an explosive steam event and ash fall at the summit of KÄ«lauea Volcano."

Volcanic activity remained paused at the other fissures across the area, but hazardous fumes continued to spew into the air, posing a persistent danger.

"This is not over," Janet Babb, a U.S. Geological Survey geologist, told Hawaii News Now. "There's still magma within the rift zone. In the foreseeable future, this eruption is likely to continue."

Mandatory evacuations were issued for the Leilani Estates subdivison on Hawaii's Big Island, where about 1,700 people reside. Many have since lost their homes. At least 26 homes have been destroyed and 36 structures in total have been lost. This number may rise further as the two new vents spew lava in Lanipuna Gardens.

As conditions permit, Leilani Estates residents will be allowed to check on their property from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day until further notice, officials said.

Some residents of the community remain in a state of uncertainty as they remain away from their homes.

"If there's a God out there, maybe he can help us out," Sam Knox told Hawaii News Now.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige visited the island shortly after the eruption and met with impacted community members.

“I met many people who are frightened and deeply concerned about losing everything they’ve worked for all their lives," Ige said. "I’ve heard from people who have already lost their home. My heart goes out to these families. I reassured them that the county, state and the federal governments are working together to do everything in our power to help them get through this, to ensure their welfare and safety, and to assure them that we are here for the long haul. This is a resilient community. Even during this frightening and unpredictable time — these residents are pulling together, donating food, water and time to care for their neighbors."

On Wednesday, Ige signed a request for a presidential disaster declaration request for Hawaii, asking President Donald Trump to declare the state a major disaster as a result of the eruptions and destruction.

Nighttime images have appeared apocalyptic at times as fissures that split open allowed raging fountains of lava to reach hundreds of feet into the air. As the destructive lava flow has moved at a slow crawl, it has wasted everything in its path, including homes, cars and metal gates.

The eruption was preceded by hundreds of small earthquakes of magnitudes 3.0 or less. However, several larger quakes rocked the Big Island on Friday, May 4.

Around 12:30 p.m. HST Friday, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurred on the south flank of the volcano, the USGS reported. This is the strongest earthquake to hit the island since a magnitude 7.1 quake occurred on Nov. 29, 1975.

About one hour earlier, a magnitude 5.4 earthquake occurred about 11 miles southwest of Leilani Estates and was felt on the islands of Oahu, Molokai and Maui. A short-lived plume of ash rose into the air following the quake. The plume of smoke and ash dissipated as it drifted to the southwest, the USGS said.

About 14,000 customers were left without power following Friday's quakes.

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