NATION IN BRIEF : HAWAII : 4 More Houses Lost to Volcano’s Lava

Lava slowly flowing from Kilauea Volcano through a remote housing area on the island of Hawaii sent four more houses up in flames. Civil Defense officials put the number of homes destroyed in Kalapana Gardens since April 4 at 32, or about a quarter of the subdivision’s homes. Two separate flows were joining together, and the lava surges caused Civil Defense officials to extend blockades and to warn residents of the possibility of large methane gas explosions. Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Harry Kim warned residents that the town’s one store and two churches could be destroyed in the next week to 10 days.