HILO — A volcanic vent forced the evacuation of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens in Puna on Thursday after opening in the middle of a residential street.
As of 7 p.m., the eruption on Mohala Street extended 150 to 200 yards, said Mayor Harry Kim, and was moving through forested lots adjacent to homes. Shelters were open at the Pahoa and Keaau community centers, and the state deployed the Hawaii National Guard.
While the eruption was initially contained to one vent, Kim cautioned additional areas could rupture.
“Remember, this is phase one,” said Kim, who was county Civil Defense chief during eruptions that covered Royal Gardens subdivision and later Kalapana in the 1980s and early 1990s.
“We don’t know what will happen next, if anything does. I’ve seen so many dramatic changes.”
Resident Ikaika Marzo, who was on scene, said he saw “tons” of lava “pumping” from a fissure in the ground, filling a space over 100 yards wide.
The vent followed days of heightened seismic activity along Kilauea’s East Rift Zone, where magma has been intruding since Monday.
Magma found its way to the surface Thursday through cracks in the road that initially drew curiosity, and later worry, as it began to release steam and the smell of sulfur. Lava followed shortly afterward.
Civil Defense immediately ordered an evacuation of half of Leilani Estates but soon extended it to the whole subdivision and the adjacent Lanipuna neighborhood, where more than 1,000 residents live, according to U.S. Census estimates.
Kim said the Hawaii National Guard will share a command post with the county at the Pahoa police station. Both the county and state were issuing emergency proclamations.
As of deadline, there were no reports of injuries or homes lost.
Gov. David Ige told the Tribune-Herald late Thursday the state will provide the county any aid needed, including helicopter support and security via the National Guard.
“As you know, there’s no one better than Mayor Harry Kim in responding to the needs of the community,” he said. “With the resources the state can bring to bear, we will help him and his first responders.”
Kim said residents were being allowed to retrieve belongings from their homes if it was safe. Residents were told to leave via the mauka end of Leilani Estates, and nearby intersections were closed to nonresidents.
People trying to enter the subdivision to see the lava were frustrating evacuation efforts, but overall the evacuations were going well, Kim said.
By 8 p.m. there about 30 evacuees present at the Pahoa Community Center, though more than 1,000 were expected.
Evacuees are advised to bring an emergency evacuation supply kit including medicine, food and other essential items.
The eruption is the first time lava has threatened residents since the “June 27th” flow entered Pahoa in 2014, where it destroyed one residence and nearly crossed Highway 130 before stalling.
Luana Jones, who lives on Pohoiki Road and was evacuating on Thursday, called it “surreal.”
“We keep wondering, ‘Is this really happening?’” she said. “Tute Pele’s gonna do what she’s gonna do.”
Her neighbor, Dawn Javellana, said she evacuated to a hotel in Hilo earlier Thursday after cracks formed on the road near her house.
She said she has lived there since 1989 and endured the 2014 lava threat.
“I don’t know what we’re going to come home to,” Javellana said. “You never expect to see that kind of fountaining outside the crater. To see that so close to home, I never could have expected it.”
Puna Geothermal Venture, a nearby geothermal power plant, was being shutdown Thursday after the eruption. Hazardous materials were being removed.
Thursday’s eruption followed magnitude-5 earthquake near the rift zone that rattled residents across the island and prompted an ash plume at Pu‘u ‘O‘o.
Residents should listen to the radio for future updates, and report any unusual events to Civil Defense at 935-0031.
Reporter Kirsten Johnson contributed to this report.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Email Mike Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.