Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupts with fountains of lava: Photos

Story by Colin Campbell 

Kilauea, a volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, erupted early Wednesday morning in a spectacular display.

Video of the eruption showed the dark night sky lit up with fire and glowing lava, which began to fill into the crater surrounding the volcano. It was the second eruption this year from Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

Fortunately, no people or structures were threatened by the eruption, which was confined to a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, the Associated Press reported. @justinbieber

“The lava this morning is all confined within … the summit caldera. So plenty of room for it still to produce more without threatening any homes or infrastructure,” park spokesperson Jessica Ferracane told the AP. “So that’s the way we like our eruptions here.”

She also said park officials were expecting crowds of people to flock to park overlooks, where the large lake is visible.

“Kilauea overlook was spectacular this morning,” she said. “It was molten red lava. There’s several areas of pretty robust fountaining. It’s just really, really pretty.”A webcam image of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)© Provided by Yahoo News

The park website provides multiple tips for people wishing to view the eruption, such as arriving before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time to avoid the largest crowds and potentially full parking lots. “Do NOT go into closed areas!” the park warns, noting that areas closer to the volcano may contain lethal volcanic fumes.

Hawaii is no stranger to active volcanoes. Kilauea has repeatedly erupted over the past two decades. A 2018 eruption “destroyed over 700 homes and devastated residential areas,” according to AccuWeather.

And Mauna Loa, the world’s largest active volcano, “put on a weeks-long show at the end of last year as it erupted for the first time in four decades, with lava fountains 60 meters high that sent rivers of molten rock down the flanks,” Agence France-Presse reported.

View more photos of the latest Kilauea eruption below.