Hundreds of people on Hawaii's Big Island were ordered to evacuate their homes after the Kilauea Volcano erupted, belching ash into the sky and spewing fountains of lava in a residential area, officials said today.
Video posted on social media showed authorities closing roads as lava spurted from the ground.
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The volcano, one of five on the island, erupted yesterday after a series of earthquakes over the last couple of days, including a 5.0 tremor earlier in the day, the US Geological Survey reported on its website.
Residents in the Puna communities of Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens subdivisions, home to about 1,700 people, were ordered to evacuate after public works officials reported steam and lava spewing from a crack, according to the county's Civil Defence Agency.
The leading edge of the lava can reach temperatures of about 1,149C.
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Two emergency shelters were opened to take in evacuees, the Civil Defence Agency said, while Governor David Ige activated the Hawaii National Guard to provide emergency help.
"Please be alert and prepare now to keep your family safe," he said on Twitter to residents living near the volcano.
No injuries or deaths were reported.
