The June 27 lava flow advanced 75 yards during the past 24 hours, the Hawaii County Civil Defense reports.
An overflight Monday morning showed that the flow, which remains active, is moving toward the northeast, officials said. It is currently 0.6 miles from Apaa Street, near the Pahoa Transfer Station.
The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said that there are numerous active breakouts near the flow front that continue upslope along the lava tube system. The observatory plans its own overflight on Monday.
All burning activity associated with the lava flow is limited to vegetation in direct contact with the lava and there is no brush fire threat at this time, officials said. Smoke conditions were reported as moderate to heavy in the Kaohe Homesteads subdivision of Puna.
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.
The next lava flow community update meeting will be held with representatives from Hawaii County Civil Defense and the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Pahoa High School Cafeteria.
In addition, the County of Hawaii has established an Incident Command Center and Informational Resource Center at the Pāhoa Community Center. Residents are invited to the information center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday next week for answers to their questions.