June 27 lava flow advances 150 yards

An aerial survey Monday morning showed the June 27 flow front continues to be active and has advanced approximately 150 yards since Sunday, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.

An aerial survey Monday morning showed the June 27 flow front continues to be active and has advanced approximately 150 yards since Sunday, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense.

The narrow flow front is moving along the tree line and the burning activity associated with the flow is producing a significant amount of smoke. There is no brush fire threat at this time and the burning is limited to the edges of the flow only. Vog and smoke conditions were moderate to heavy across lower Puna to Hilo because of a light southwest wind Monday morning.

As of 11:15 a.m. on Monday, the state Department of Health reported air quality as “good” at each of the eight monitoring sites on the Big Island.

Current flow activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and no evacuation is needed at this time, according to Civil Defense. Area residents will be given adequate notice to safely evacuate should that become necessary, a written statement said.

Since the flow resumed its advance last Wednesday, it has moved downhill by more than 590 yards, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. The observatory next plans a flight over the lava flow later on Monday.

The Railroad Emergency Route is not open to the public at this time. The public is reminded that no public vehicles, individuals or activity are allowed within the emergency route until it is opened.

The public is also reminded that the flow is not visible and cannot be accessed from any public areas. Access to the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision will remain restricted to area residents only, the statement said.

The next lava flow community update meeting will be held with representatives from Hawaii County Civil Defense and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the cafeteria at the Pahoa High School.

Hawaii County has also established an incident command center and informational resource center at the Pahoa Community Center. Residents are invited to the information center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for answers to their questions.

For the latest Civil Defense message, click here. For more information, contact Hawaii County Civil Defense at 935-0031.