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Residents on Hawaii’s Big Island were told to “go now” on Sunday night after a new fissure opened up in the Leilani Estates – bringing the total to more than ten now.
The residential area is home to 1,700 people and is located 12 miles from Hawaii’s volatile Kilauea volcano, which has been spewing lava in a major eruption since Thursday.
More than 26 homes have been destroyed, while the latest fissure has released potentially life-threatening sulfur dioxide gas into the air.
People living in Lanipuna Gardens are banned from returning home “due to dangerous volcanic gases”, Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said.
The civil defence agency also warned others to stay away in a statement which read: ”This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area.”
USGS said lava fountains up to 100m (330ft) high were spewing into the air on Luana Road in the Leilani Estates area between Leilani and Malama.
No fatalities or major injuries have been reported.
Officials have also warned people to be alert for further seismic activity after a 6.9 earthquake shook buildings on the island’s southeast corner at little after noon local time on Friday.
8.14am update: Thermal map shows fissures and short lava flow at Leilani Estates
Fissure eruptions continue, with fissure eight producing huge lava fountains across Ho’okopu Road.
Seismic activity is down in the East Rift Zone but remains elevated at the volcano’s summit.
8.08am update: Earthquake activity has decreased but Kilauea still remains a threat
The USGS reports that earthquake activity in the summit remains elevated but has decreased over the past few days.
The report read: “Many of these earthquakes are related to the ongoing subsidence of the summit area and earthquakes beneath the south flank of the volcano.”
Tiltmeters at Kilauea’s summit continue to record the “deflationary trend of the past several days” and the lava lake level continues to drop.
“Rockfalls from the steep crater walls into the retreating lake continue to produce occasional ashy plumes above Halema’uma’u crater. These plumes are expected to continue,” the report said.
7.52am update: Incredible images show steam rising through cracks in the road
Field crews from the USGS returned from the Leilani Estates subdivision in the lower East Rift Zone of Kilauea Volcano in the early hours of this morning.
Images take at the estate show huge gaping holes appearing in the road, with steam rising through.
The USGS reported: “At 07:00 a.m. (HST) ground cracking extended across Highway 130. USGS-HVO scientists measured the width of the cracks and used a thermal camera to look for heat within the cracks but no significant temperature difference was noted.
“The cracks spanned a 1.1 km stretch of the highway, which was closed to traffic. Orange paint was used to outline the cracks.
“The road remained closed for much of the day. At 10:00 a.m. HST, steam rose from fissure 9 on Moku Street in the Leilani Estates Subdivision.”
7.39am update: There are growing concerns the eruptions could threaten the island’s geothermal power plant
Sixty-thousand gallons of highly flammable pentane are stored at the Puna Geothermal site, which present a key danger for the surrounding community.
Hawaii County Civil Defence Administrator Talmadge Magno said the plant has now been evacuated, but the pentane remains on site.
He said: “Everything is still on property. They moved it to high ground just in case any flows would start coming that way, give them a little more time.”
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