Hawaii lava wave nears homes

LOS ANGELES (AFP) ― Smoldering lava from a slow-erupting volcano has reached within several meters of homes on Hawaii’s Big Island, emergency officials said Monday as villagers braced to evacuate.

The lava flow from the Kilauea volcano has been threatening nearby homes for weeks, and was 91 meters from the nearest house by early Monday. The lava front was moving at between 9-14 meters an hour.

“Based on the current flow location, direction and advancement, residents in the flow path were placed on an evacuation advisory,” said the County of Hawaii’s Civil Defense force in an online update.

The slow-moving waves of lava, burning everything in its path, had advanced some 251 meters in the past 24 hours toward Pahoa town, on the eastern tip of the island, officials said.

Hawaii County Mayor Billy Kenoi declared a state of emergency last month after the lava advanced to within 1.6 kilometers of a residential area known as the Kaohe Homesteads.

Last week, Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie requested a Presidential Disaster Declaration to unlock federal resources to help local emergency protective measures.

As the lava threatens a main road in the area, measures needed include providing alternative routes and accommodating some 900 children that will be displaced by the lava, according to Abercrombie’s office.

Hawaii Island, or the Big Island, is the largest of the eight main islands which make up the Pacific U.S. state ― an archipelago that includes hundreds of smaller volcanic islands.