Volcano Gives Off Fiery Plume

The Kilauea volcano abruptly ended the 29th phase of its 2-year-old eruption Friday after shooting fire fountains 1,500 feet high and emitting a spectacular fireball cloud visible for miles.

Scientists said the stunning red plume cloud, produced by atmospheric conditions, hovered over the fiery fountain for much of the night. It lit up the southern sky and it was observed by island residents miles away from the remote eruption site on the lava-encrusted island of Hawaii.

“It was the best looking plume I’ve seen,” Thomas Wright, chief scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said.

During the 14-hour episode, the volcano also oozed two slow-moving flows of lava.

The latest activity of the Kilauea volcano began Thursday, the second anniversary of its current eruption series, which began on Jan. 3, 1983.

The vent is midway down Kilauea’s eastern slope, about 12 miles from the summit.

Earlier phases of the eruption lasted many days and pushed lava flows through the Royal Gardens house lots, forcing the evacuation of residents and destroying several homes. Recent phases have lasted less than a day and posed no danger.