Kilauea lava flows cannot be stopped

kilauea

Emergency authorities battling lava flows and gas erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano are warning some residents to “go now” as a new fissure has opened.

The volcano has destroyed 26 homes and forced 1,700 people to leave their residences since Friday’s eruption, spewing lava and toxic gas from volcanic vents in the eastern corner of Hawaii’s Big Island, home to about 200,000 people.

A new fissure opened Sunday night in the Leilani Estates area some 12 miles (19 km) from the volcano, prompting a cellphone alert for residents to leave homes to avoid sulfur dioxide gas, which can be life threatening at high levels.

So far no deaths or major injuries have been reported, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said.

Evacuees from Leilani Estates were allowed to return for pets, medications and to check property on Sunday. Jeremy Wilson found his home surrounded by fissures hundreds of feet long.

“My house is right in the middle,” said Wilson, a 36-year-old social worker who turned back when he saw steam coming from cracks in the road.

Early Monday, 161 people were housed at two shelters on the island, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said.

The semi-rural wooded area of Leilani Estates had become a magnet for newcomers to Hawaii who were prepared to risk living near an active volcano for more affordable real-estate.