The eruption of Hawaii's famed Kilauea volcano spewed lava hundreds of feet into the air, destroying dozens of homes in a subdivision on the eastern edge of Big Island and forcing more than 1,700 people from their homes.
In this photo taken from video an unidentified man gets close to a lava flow advancing down a road in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii Monday, May 7, 2018. Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano.
(Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP)
Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP
Lava continues to overrun Hookupu Street, Monday, May 7, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has destroyed homes and spewed lava hundreds of feet into the air, leaving evacuated residents unsure how long they might be displaced.
(Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)
Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP
Lava continues to overrun property along Hookupu Street, Monday, May 7, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has destroyed homes and spewed lava hundreds of feet into the air, leaving evacuated residents unsure how long they might be displaced.
(Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP)
Jamm Aquino/Honolulu Star-Advertiser via AP
In this photo taken from video Scott Wiggers, of Apau Hawaii Tours, feels warmth from a fissure in a road in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii Monday, May 7, 2018. Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano.
(Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP)
Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP
In this photo from video a lava flow advancing down a road is seen from less than 10 feet away in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii Monday, May 7, 2018. Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano.
(Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP)
Scott Wiggers/Apau Hawaii Tours via AP
This May 6, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows the lava lake at the summit of Kilauea near Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has destroyed homes and forced the evacuations of more than a thousand people.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
In this Sunday, May 6, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a Hawaii Volcano Observatory (HVO) geologist collects samples of spatter for laboratory analysis in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii. Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
In this Sunday, May 6, 2018 photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, USGS scientists monitoring the eruption of Kilauea volcano in Leilani Estates walk past spatter that erupted from a fissure on Leilani Avenue, in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii. Kilauea volcano has destroyed more than two dozen homes since it began spewing lava hundreds of feet into the air last week, and residents who evacuated don’t know how long they might be displaced. The decimated homes were in the Leilani Estates subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the volcano.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
In this Saturday, May 5, 2018 photo, a new fissure erupts in Leilani Estates in Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has destroyed homes and forced the evacuations of more than a thousand people.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
National guardsmen and police stand at the entrance to Leilani Estates, Friday, May 4, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. A mandatory evacuation for the area as declared by the state. Due to unsafe conditions in the area from the recent lava eruption, residents who evacuated could not return to their homes Friday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Kilauea volcano erupts, Friday, May 4, 2018, in Kalapana, HI. There are no immediate reports of major damage after a large earthquake struck Hawaii’s Big Island near a volcanic eruption that has forced residents to evacuate from their homes. Hawaii National Guard spokesman Maj. Jeff Hickman says the Hilo airport and the highways didn’t sustain any damage from Friday’s magnitude-6.9 quake.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
In this still frame taken from video, lava flows toward a home in the Puna District as a result of the eruption from Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, Friday, May 4, 2018. The eruption sent molten lava through forests and bubbling up from paved streets and forced the evacuation of about 1,500 people who were still out of their homes Friday after Thursday’s eruption.
(Byron Matthews via AP)
Byron Matthews via AP
In this still frame taken from video, lava flows over a road in the Puna District as a result of the eruption from Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island Friday, May 4, 2018. The eruption sent molten lava through forests and bubbling up from paved streets and forced the evacuation of about 1,500 people who were still out of their homes Friday after Thursday’s eruption.
(Byron Matthews via AP)
Byron Matthews via AP
In this Friday, May 4, 2018, image released by the U.S. Geological Survey, shows fissure 3 at Leilani and Kaupili Streets in Leilani Estates subdivision at 8:07 a.m. HST near Pahoa, Hawaii. The Kilauea volcano sent more lava into Hawaii communities Friday, a day after forcing more than 1,500 people to flee from their mountainside homes, and authorities detected high levels of sulfur gas that could threaten the elderly and people with breathing problems.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
In this Saturday, May 5, 2018 photo provided by U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who is on active duty Hawaii National Guard deployment, ash from the Puu Oo vent on Kilauea volcano rises into the air, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Hawaii’s erupting Kilauea volcano has destroyed homes and forced the evacuations of more than a thousand people.
(U.S. Rep. Tusli Gabbard/National Guard via AP)
U.S. Rep. Tusli Gabbard/National Guard via AP
PAHOA, HI – MAY 5: In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a panoramic view of a fissure errupting lava from the intersection of Leilani and Makamae Streets after the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on May 5, 2018 in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents.
(Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images)
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images
Lava burns across a road in the Leilani Estates subdivision on Saturday, May 5, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. Glowing plumes of lava have shot hundreds of feet into the air at points, officials said, and black-and-orange ribbons of rock have curled into roadways.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
AP Photo/Caleb Jones
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a crack opened on Pohoiki Road just east of Leilani Street after the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on May 5, 2018 in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents.
(Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images)
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images
In this Saturday, May 5, 2018, photo, lava burns across a road as an offering to the volcano goddess lies in the foreground in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. Glowing plumes of lava have shot hundreds of feet into the air at points, officials said, and black-and-orange ribbons of rock have curled into roadways.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
AP Photo/Caleb Jones
This photo shows some of the 1990 lava flow from Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, Sunday, May 6, 2018, in Kalapana, a town south of the Leilani Estates subdivision, Hawaii. Hawaii officials said the decimated homes were in the subdivision, where molten rock, toxic gas and steam have been bursting through openings in the ground created by the Kilauea volcano.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
In this Saturday, May 5, 2018, photo, lava burns across a road as an offering to the volcano goddess lies in the foreground in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. Glowing plumes of lava have shot hundreds of feet into the air at points, officials said, and black-and-orange ribbons of rock have curled into roadways.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
AP Photo/Caleb Jones
This Saturday, May 5, 2018, photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, shows Fissure 7 in Pahoa, Hawaii. At the peak of its activity, large bubble bursts occurred at one spot, lower left, in the fissure while spattering was present in other portions. The number of homes destroyed by lava shooting out of openings in the ground created by Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano climbed to nine on Sunday, May 6, as some of the more than 1,700 people who evacuated prepared for the possibility they may not return for quite some time.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
Residents of the Leilani Estates queue in a line to enter the subdivision to gather possessions from their homes, Sunday, May 6, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. Scientists reported lava spewing more than 200 feet (61 meters) into the air in Hawaii’s recent Kilauea volcanic eruption, and some of the more than 1,700 people who evacuated prepared for the possibility they may not return for quite some time.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Lava burns across a road in the Leilani Estates subdivision as an unidentified person takes pictures of the flow, Saturday, May 5, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. Offerings of Hawaiian ti leaves, rocks and cans to the fire goddess Pele lie in the street in front of the lava.
(AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
AP Photo/Caleb Jones
Lava glows from a vent on a lava bed at the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
A sign reads ‘Eruption Info Here’ at a roadblock near volcanic activity on Hawaii’s Big Island on May 5, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island May 4 along with new eruptions from the Kilauea volcano. The volcano has spewed lava and high levels of sulfur gas into two nearby communities, leading officials to order 1,700 to evacuate in the area.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Volcanic gas streams out of a vent around a sign in the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
A mail box stands near the lava flow in the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday. The Leilani Estates area is at the greatest risk for more lava outbreaks.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Lava approaches a city bus stop at the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
In this photo released by U.S. Geological Survey, ash plume rises above the Puu Oo vent, on Hawaii’s Kilaueaa Volcano Thursday, May 3, 2018 in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Nearly 1,500 residents were ordered to evacuate from their volcano-side homes after Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano erupted, sending molten lava to chew its way through forest land and bubble up on paved streets.
(U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
U.S. Geological Survey via AP
A man films the lava in the Leilani Estates subdivision, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. Hundreds of people on the Big Island of Hawaii are hunkering down for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano grow.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Resident Sam Knox, 65, rides his bicycle to the edge of the road as lava burns across the road in the Leilani Estates in Pahoa, Hawaii, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow. Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes, including a magnitude 6.9 temblor on Friday, rocked an already jittery population.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Lava burns across the road in the Leilani Estates in Pahoa, Hawaii, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, lava from a fissure slowly advances to the northeast on Hookapu Street after the eruption of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on May 5, 2018 in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents.
(Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images)
Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images
PAHOA, HI – MAY 06: A plume of volcanic gas mixed with smoke from fires caused by lava rises (C) amidst clouds in the Leilani Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of eruptions from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island on May 6, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island May 4. The volcano has spewed lava and high levels of sulfur dioxide gas into communities, leading officials to order 1,700 to evacuate. Officials have confirmed 26 homes have now been destroyed by lava in Leilani Estates.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
PAHOA, HI – MAY 06: Lava from volcanic fissures slowly flows and overtakes structures and trees in the Leilani Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of eruptions from the the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island on May 6, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island May 4. The volcano has spewed lava and high levels of sulfur gas into communities, leading officials to order 1,700 to evacuate. Officials have confirmed 26 homes have now been destroyed by lava in Leilani Estates.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Fumes come out of cracks on the asphalt road near the Leilani Estates in Pahoa, Hawaii, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow. Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes, including a magnitude 6.9 temblor on Friday, rocked an already jittery population.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Resident Sam Knox rides his bicycle to the edge of the road as lava burns across the road in the Leilani Estates in Pahoa, Hawaii, Saturday, May 5, 2018. Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down Saturday for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Lava glows from a vent on a lava bed at the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
This photo provided by Hawaii Electric Light shows lava flowing over Mohala Street in the Leilani Estates area near Pahoa on the Big Island of Hawaii Friday, May 4, 2018. Nearly 1,500 people have fled from their homes after Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano sent molten lava chewing through forests and bubbling up on paved streets in an eruption that one resident described as “a curtain of fire.”
(Hawaii Electric Light via AP)
Hawaii Electric Light via AP
This photo provided by Hawaii Electric Light shows Mohala Street in Leiliani Estates near the town of Pahoa on Hawaii’s Big Island that is blocked by a lava flow from the eruption of Kilauea volcano. The Kilauea volcano sent more lava into Hawaii communities Friday, May 4, 2018, a day after forcing more than 1,500 people to flee from their mountainside homes, and authorities detected high levels of sulfur gas that could threaten the elderly and people with breathing problems.
(Hawaii Electric Light via AP)
Hawaii Electric Light via AP
Volcanic gas streams out of a vent around a sign in the Leilani Estates, Saturday, May 5, 2018, in Pahoa, Hawaii. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight volcanic vents opened in the Big Island residential neighborhood of Leilani Estates since Thursday.
(AP Photo/Marco Garcia)
AP Photo/Marco Garcia
Fires caused by lava burn in the Leilani Estates neighborhood in the aftermath of eruptions from the the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island on May 6, 2018 in Pahoa, Hawaii. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the island May 4. The volcano has spewed lava and high levels of sulfur dioxide gas into communities, leading officials to order 1,700 to evacuate. Officials have confirmed 26 homes have now been destroyed by lava in Leilani Estates.
(Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
WASHINGTON — The eruption of Hawaii’s famed Kilauea volcano spewed lava hundreds of feet into the air, destroying dozens of homes in a subdivision on the eastern edge of Big Island and forcing more than 1,700 people from their homes.
The lava, along with toxic gas and steam, have been bursting through fissures in the ground opened up by the volcano’s eruption. The lava has so far spread across 387,500 square feet. It’s a slow-moving path of destruction but geologists say they don’t know when the lava will stop flowing or how far it will spread.