Life-threatening toxic gas spews from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano
Toxic gasses are spewing from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, as new fissures form and thousands are forced to flee.
The Hawaii Fire Department on Saturday reported extremely dangerous air quality conditions due to high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in the evacuation area of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens. Elderly, young, and people with compromised respiratory systems are especially vulnerable, officials say.
Although no fatalities have been reported, officials say lava spurting into the residential neighborhood has destroyed at least five homes.
Hawaii County spokeswoman Kanani Aton says two of the eight vents that have formed since Thursday are actively spattering lava. A few others are releasing steam and gas while the oldest of the vents aren’t doing anything.
She says the vents are following a pattern of releasing steam and gas, then spattering lava and then releasing steam again before going quiet.
Hawaii County has ordered evacuations for over 1,700 people living in Leilani Estates and neighboring Lanipuna Gardens.
Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned distressed residents at a community meeting late Friday that eruptions could last longer than the ones from earlier this week, and earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks.
Gary McMillan said his home is about 3,000 feet (914 meters) from one of the fissures that is spewing lava and gas into Leilani Estates. He has remote cameras set up in his home and says that as of now his home is still intact. He’s living out of his van with his wife at the nearby community center and constantly thinks about the things they were forced to leave behind – but understands why authorities are keeping residents out.
‘I was a critical care nurse for 37 years, so I understand the health implications and the dangers involved,’ McMillan said.
The lava lake at Kilauea’s summit crater dropped significantly, suggesting the magma was moving eastward toward Puna, a mostly rural district of forests, papaya farms and lava fields left by past eruptions. Officials warned of the dangers of spattering hot rock and high levels of sulfuric gas that could threaten the elderly and people with breathing problems.
By Saturday afternoon, eight vents that had spurting lava into the air in Leilani Estates quieted down and were releasing only steam and gas. But scientists warned more vents would likely form and disgorge more lava.
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park evacuated all visitors and non-emergency staff. The quakes triggered rock slides on park trails and crater walls. Narrow fissures appeared on the ground at a building overlooking the crater at Kilauea’s summit.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College both closed campuses and a long stretch of Highway 130, one of the main arteries through Puna, was closed because of the threat of sulfuric gas.
Leilani Estates, where lava was pushing through cracks in the earth, has about 1,700 residents and 770 homes. A nearby neighborhood, Lanipuna Gardens, which has a few dozen people, also was evacuated. The lava lake at Kilauea’s summit crater dropped significantly, suggesting the magma was moving eastward toward Puna Kilauea has been continuously erupting since 1983 and is one of five volcanoes that make up the Big Island. Activity picked up earlier this week, indicating a possible new lava outbreak.
The crater floor began to collapse Monday, triggering earthquakes and pushing the lava into new underground chambers. The collapse caused magma to push more than 10 miles downslope toward the populated southeast coastline.
Residents have faced lava threats before. In 2014, lava burned a house and destroyed a cemetery near the town of Pahoa. Residents were worried it would cover the town’s main road and cut off the community from the rest of the island, but the molten rock stalled.
From 1990 through 1991, lava slowly overtook the town of Kalapana, burning homes and covering roads and gardens.
Kilauea hasn’t been the kind of volcano that shoots lava from its summit into the sky, causing widespread destruction. It tends to ooze lava from fissures in its sides, which often gives residents at least a few hours’ warning before it reaches their property.
In the uncertainty, however, some residents found comfort in the abiding beauty of the Big Island. Evacuees Todd Corrigan and his wife awoke to a beautiful sunrise Saturday in Puna after spending the night in their car at the shore.
‘Paradise isn’t always perfect,’ he said, ‘but it’s still beautiful.’
The earthquake hit about 12.33pm Friday and was centered near the south flank of Kilauea volcano. It is the strongest earthquake to hit Hawaii since 1975 when a magnitude 7.1 struck in the same area, according to US Geological Survey records.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says the quake wasn’t strong enough to cause a tsunami but several reports do state that there were small tsunami waves around the Big Island. No tsunami threat or advisory has been put in place.
The state transportation department said on Twitter that no damage has been reported to roads but there has been more than 14,000 utility customers without power.Â
‘It’s kind of like being on some kind of carnival ride if you will. We are being shaken all the time,’ said Rhea Lee-Moku, a spokeswoman for Hawaii Electric Light. She added that half the customers have had their power restored.
Another 5.7 magnitude tremor was said to have hit the island earlier on Friday. US Geological Survey seismologist Jana Pursley told CNN there had been 119 earthquakes on the Big Island since Thursday afternoon.
Before the quake, Hawaii County Civil Defense said a new vent opened near an intersection. There has been no activity at a geothermal power plant, which had been taken offline.
Hawaii National Guard spokesman Maj. Jeff Hickman added that the Hilo airport and highways didn’t sustain any damage from Friday’s magnitude-6.9 quake.
Hawaii County spokeswoman Janet Snyder also said the county has yet to conduct a full damage assessment. Four to five landslides occurred along the Hamakau Coast on the Big Island, according to the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.
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