'Evacuate now:' Hawaii volcano forces more to flee homes

PAHOA, Hawaii - Lava and toxic gas from two new fissures in the Kilauea volcano spread through a Hawaii neighborhood on Wednesday, hours after residents heard warning sirens and received phone messages urging them to "evacuate now."

Residents of Lanipuna Gardens in the southeast of Hawaii's Big Island were told to head for the coast as they were in immediate danger from clouds of sulfur dioxide gas and fountains of lava.

"EVACUATION NOTICE: New Vents Open, Lanipuna In Danger," Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said on Twitter at about 10 pm local time Tuesday (4 am ET/0800 GMT Wednesday).

Volcanic vents and lava flows have destroyed 36 structures since Kilauea erupted on Thursday and all 1,700 residents of Leilani Estates residential area, of which Lanipuna Gardens is a part, have been told to get out of their homes in the semi-rural area.

Emergency teams donned breathing equipment and protective clothing to evacuate residents who stayed behind to care for pets and livestock. Crews drove gingerly over highways as steam shot from widening cracks in the asphalt, local TV footage showed.

Kim pleaded with residents to leave their houses and not put rescue crews at risk.

Geologists reported loud jetting and booming sounds as lava shot from the new fissures around 12 miles (19 km) from the cone of the shallow-sided volcano, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported.

The new eruptions brought to 14 the number of vents that have opened since Kilauea started spraying fountains of lava as high as 300 feet (90 meters) into the air.

Lava has been bubbling out of about 2-1/2 miles (4 km) of fissures that officials have warned are slowly spreading eastward.

On Friday, the southeastern corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano's south flank, the strongest since 1975. Smaller quakes followed, and the eruptions and tremors could continue for months.

Geologists have compared the activity with an event in 1955 which lasted 88 days and covered around 4,000 acres with lava. The area has become popular with newcomers to Hawaii with land prices relatively low due to the area's history of volcanic venting.

About 104 acres (42.09 hectares) of land have been covered in the current eruption. Kilauea has been in a state of nearly constant eruption since 1983.

Reuters