Life-Threatening Toxic Gas Spews From Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano As Molten Lava Destroys Homes And Forces 1,700 Terrified Islanders To Flee

Toxic gasses are spewing from Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island, as new fissures form and thousands are forced to flee.

The Hawaii Fire Department on Saturday reported extremely dangerous air quality conditions due to high levels of sulfur dioxide gas in the evacuation area of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens. Elderly, young, and people with compromised respiratory systems are especially vulnerable, officials say.

Although no fatalities have been reported, officials say lava spurting into the residential neighborhood has destroyed at least five homes.

Hawaii County spokeswoman Kanani Aton says two of the eight vents that have formed since Thursday are actively spattering lava. A few others are releasing steam and gas while the oldest of the vents aren’t doing anything.

She says the vents are following a pattern of releasing steam and gas, then spattering lava and then releasing steam again before going quiet.

Hawaii County has ordered evacuations for over 1,700 people living in Leilani Estates and neighboring Lanipuna Gardens.

The combination of toxic gas, lava flows and earthquakes has put residents on edge, and many are being warned the aftershocks could continue for weeks or even months.  Volcanoes (Smithsonian... Seymour Simon Best Price: $0.25 Buy New $2.75 (as of 08:00 UTC - Details)

Tesha ‘Mirah’ Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes escaping from the lava vents weren’t enough to make her family evacuate, but the tipping point were the earthquakes.

‘I felt like the whole side of our hill was going to explode,’ she said. ‘The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car.’

Montoya, her husband and daughter don’t know how long they will be away from the three-story octagonal house they built nearly 20 years ago from a patch of ‘raw jungle.’

‘My heart and soul’s there,’ she said in a phone interview from a cabin on the north side of the Big Island, where the family had hunkered down. ‘I’m nothing without the land. It’s part of my being.’

Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned distressed residents at a community meeting late Friday that eruptions could last longer than the ones from earlier this week, and earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks.

Gary McMillan said his home is about 3,000 feet (914 meters) from one of the fissures that is spewing lava and gas into Leilani Estates. He has remote cameras set up in his home and says that as of now his home is still intact.

He’s living out of his van with his wife at the nearby community center and constantly thinks about the things they were forced to leave behind – but understands why authorities are keeping residents out.

‘I was a critical care nurse for 37 years, so I understand the health implications and the dangers involved,’ McMillan said.

Read the Whole Article