After consuming a shed and a pile of tires the day before, the June 27 lava flow moved within 100 feet of a home Wednesday and continued to threaten a cluster of residences on Pahoa Village Road.
The stream of 2,000-degree molten rock continued its descent at an average rate of 10 yards an hour as it advanced within 280 yards of Pahoa’s main road.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveria said Wednesday afternoon it was possible the flow could cross the road in 24 to 48 hours.
About 80 soldiers and airmen with the Hawaii National Guard will deploy this morning under the guidance of the Hawaii Police Department to help maintain security, he said.
Several of the homes in its projected path were vacant Wednesday after Civil Defense officials had asked those most at risk to leave.
Alfred Lee, whose home lies in the path on the mauka side of Pahoa Village Road, said he watched as lava oozed within 150 feet of his property line Wednesday afternoon.
Lee, a bulldozer operator who recently was building alternate routes lower Puna residents will rely on after lava crosses Highway 130, was waiting to see if a 15-foot-tall barrier he constructed would be enough to save his home.
“It’s just crawling,” he said of the lava. “Sometimes it doesn’t move at all.”
Lee said it remained difficult to estimate whether it would reach his land or the berm by today.
“If it’s moving that slow, it will be tomorrow (Thursday) morning and still be out there,” he said.
With it so close to his home, Lee said it would be difficult to sleep if he got the chance, but he added friends and family were helping keep an eye out so he could try to get some rest.
“We hadn’t had too much sleep,” he said.
“You keep hearing this boom, all this kind of crackling and popping.”
No matter what happens, Lee said he has done all he could.
“I did my best and whatever happens, happens,” he said.
Whether or not the barrier works, it potentially could have an impact on the direction of the flow.
Oliveira said he was aware of the barrier and that county Public Works staff had visited the property.
“The owner, as well as we are, are very much aware that any diversion of the flow could (have an effect) on other property owners,” he said. “And that is one of the concerns that the county has had from the get-go. … No matter what we do with the flow at this point, it’s gonna get into an area that affects someone else.”
Civil Defense closed Pahoa Village Road between Apaa Street and Post Office Road late Sunday as lava neared the area.
Lee wasn’t the only resident left Wednesday.
A few homes on higher ground also remained occupied, though the 0.5-mile stretch of road continued to look more like a ghost town.
Bill Schmidt, who lives just inside the restricted area, said the residents who remained had gotten to know each other well as they waited to see what Madame Pele had in store.
“It’s like we’re all family now,” he said.
Rhea Lee, Hawaii Electric Light Co. administration manager, said the protective barriers placed around power poles continued to hold after one pole burned slightly earlier this week.
The barriers, designed by HELCO staff, included a strip of thermal insulation, use of a concrete dry well pipe, and wire fencing, which is covered by a large pile of cinder.
Similar barriers were also placed around utility poles on Pahoa Village Road.
U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, while speaking to reporters at a press briefing, noted residents were dealing with the disaster well.
“These residents are amazing,” she said. “… their resilience and optimism, even given the circumstances, is a great motivation for all the people who are working so hard here.”
Meanwhile, many businesses in Pahoa were keeping their doors open as merchants wait to see what the lava does.
One store was even getting ready for its grand opening.
Shiloh Robinson, store manager for NAPA Auto Part’s Pahoa location, said the store was still going ahead with its plan to open sometime in mid-November next to First Hawaiian Bank despite lava threatening to separate the area from the rest of the island.
“We’re trying to serve the community on this side,” he said.
“We are scaling back just due to the effect of the lava. So it’s going to be a smaller crew with different hours than we initially planned. We had to adjust the business plan to the lava flow.”
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com or John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.