Hawaii Lava Flow Destroys Home, Threatens Others

Molten rock from the Kilauea Volcano destroyed another home and threatened others in a beleaguered housing area on the southeast coast of the island of Hawaii, authorities said Friday.

A major breakout Thursday night and Friday morning sent a fresh river of molten rock streaming into the area of the Kaimu Junction, in the western section of Kalapana Shores housing area, authorities said.

One home was destroyed in the early morning, authorities said. Officials said lava continued to ooze forward along the front, and the flow behind that was increasing for another surge forward.

“We have several homes that are in danger,” said George Ikeda, a county worker helping civil defense workers.

Earlier this week, flows from the volcano slackened their march along the coastline and past several housing areas, but new flows became active in the already devastated Royal Gardens and Kalapana Gardens.

One flow destroyed one of the five remaining homes in Kalapana Gardens on Monday night and threatened two others, while another major flow threatened the 15 remaining homes in Royal Gardens.

An evacuation order for Kalapana Shores and areas west of the junction remained in effect, and only residents were allowed into the housing area.

Residents of three other communities--Kalapana Havens, Ross Road and the Kaimu-Makena homestead--have been told to be ready to evacuate at any moment should the flows threaten their dwellings.

Other residents were placed on alert because of the danger from “laze” or lava haze, which forms when molten rock hits sea water. The laze can contain dangerous substances, such as hydrochloric acid.

All coastal recreational activity for areas west of Kalapana Shores has been banned because of the lava and the laze, which has been blown out to sea by strong trade winds.

Despite the warnings and evacuations, visitors have been allowed to view the volcanic activity from a point farther up the coastline.

The flows were fed by molten rock that continued to pour from the vent five miles up Kilauea’s slope at a steady rate, roughly estimated at 650,000 cubic yards a day.

The eruption that began Jan. 3, 1983, is the longest in history and has destroyed 179 homes.