The June 27 lava flow is continuing its march toward Pahoa, moving nearly 200 feet since Wednesday.
An overflight Thursday morning showed that the flow front remains active and has advanced some 65 yards since Wednesday, Civil Defense officials said. The narrow flow front is moving northeast along the tree line and may begin to enter areas of lighter vegetation.
During the past week, the lava has advanced approximately 130 yards per day, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. At this rate, the lava flow could reach Apaa Street in about 14 days. The flow is currently 0.9 miles from Apaa Street and 1.6 miles from Pahoa Village Road.
The burning activity is producing a significant amount of smoke resulting in moderate to light smoke conditions. A light trade wind is blowing out of the northeast.
Currently, the lava flow does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and evacuation is not necessary. Civil Defense says it will provide adequate notice to safely evacuate should it become necessary.
However, the state Department of Health suggests that residents dependent on medical services, treatment or supplies and who live in communities that may be cutoff by the advancing lava flow to relocate outside the affected area to ensure continued access to necessary medical support. If the lava flow crosses Highway 130, medical services and supplies will be severely limited and emergency medical service response time may be significantly delayed.
The flow is not visible and cannot be accessed from any public areas, according to Civil Defense. Access to the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision remains restricted to area residents.