Pahoa, Hawaii - A massive new fissure
opened on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano, hurling bursts of rock and
magma with an ear-piercing screech on Sunday as it threatened
nearby homes and prompted authorities to order new evacuations.
The fissure, a vivid gouge of magma with smoke pouring out
both ends, was the 17th to open on the volcano since it began
erupting on May 3. Some 37 buildings have been destroyed and
nearly 2 000 people ordered to evacuate in the past 10 days.
Seen from a helicopter, the crack appeared to be about 1 000
feet (300 metres) long and among the largest of those fracturing
the side of Kilauea, a 4 000-foot-high (1 200-metres) volcano
with a lake of lava at its summit.
"It is a near-constant roar akin to a full-throttle 747
interspersed with deafening, earth-shattering explosions that
hurtle 100-pound (45-kg) lava bombs 100 feet (30 metres) into
the air," said Mark Clawson, 64, who lives uphill from the
latest fissure and so far is defying an evacuation order.
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Closer to the summit, in the evacuated Leilani Estates
neighbourhood of about 1 500 people, explosions could be heard in
the distance as steam rose from cracks in the roads. The bulging
rim of one fissure wrecked a building, leaving behind torn
metal.
In areas where sulfur dioxide emissions were strong, the
vegetation turned brown and leafless trees withered.
The US Geological Survey warned that fissures could erupt
throughout the area, and Civil Defense officials on Sunday
ordered people living on Halekamahina Road to evacuate and be on
the alert for gas emissions and lava spatter.
Meanwhile, other fissures continued to billow smoke over
homes on the eastern point of the Big Island of Hawaii, the
largest of the Hawaiian islands.
Even so, some people such as Clawson remained in their
homes, confident they would be spared.
"We are keeping track of lava bombs. One went through the
lanai (porch) roof of a neighbour's house," Clawson said. About
eight to 10 neighbours had yet to evacuate, he said.
The Hawaii National Guard is warning people in the coastal
Lower Puna area to prepare to leave, saying anyone who chooses
to stay behind cannot count on being rescued. An evacuation has
not been ordered there but might be if a local highway is cut
off.
"We've been telling them, 'Evacuate if you can, because if
we have to come in and get you we'll be putting first responders
at risk'," Major Jeff Hickman told reporters. "There's a point
where we'll tell our first responders, 'Nope, you can't go'."