Kilauea illuminates the Sacred Heart Church in Pahoa. Photo / Mario Tama, Getty
Kilauea illuminates the Sacred Heart Church in Pahoa. Photo / Mario Tama, Getty
Fast-moving lava has been advancing down a suburban street as Hawaii's Kilauea volcano enters its fourth week of a dramatic eruption.
The pictures could be straight from a disaster film, but the reality is far more terrifying writes news.com.au.
The lava from the volcano's fissure 7 waspictured moving down Leilani Avenue in the suburb of Leilani Estates on Hawaii's Big Island, with a lava fountain also seen in the background.
Lava fountains have been blasting more than 60m in the air from Kilauea volcano in its biggest eruption cycle in a century.
The flow near Leilani Estates has already destroyed at least 82 structures, including 41 homes, since the eruption began in early May.
Hardened lava from a Kilauea covers a road in Leilani Estates, Hawaii. Photo / Mario Tama, Getty
At least a dozen more structures were believed to have been destroyed by lava flow on Sunday and Monday, including the home of bed and breakfast owner Petra Wiesenbauer.
Ms Wiesenbauer told USA Today she left her home and moved into a rental property when she got a phone call from her neighbour on Sunday.
"He said his house was on fire and mine was next," she said.
"They stood on my roof and watched his house burn down.
"A week ago I mowed the grass. There was this hope things would normalise, stabilise, and we'd be able to move back."
When she went back, her house was "just a pile of rubble".
"There was nothing left," she said.
Spewing 40-60 cubic feet of lava per second, workers from Leilani Estates are helpless. Photo / Mario Tama,Getty
The quick movement of lava has prompted authorities to close a major highway on the Big Island, Highway 132, with nearby residents urged to stay alert for updates and evacuation orders.
Authorities are also warning of possible injury to people's eyes and lungs due to sharp strands of volcanic glass fibres in the wind, following an explosion of ash at the volcano's summit that shot 4600m in the air.
The US Geological Survey said, the latest outburst in a month of volcanic activity. The agency warned ash was drifting northwest and could affect anyone in the summit area.
The eruption of Kilauea volcano, a major tourist attraction on the Big Island, has not affected flights in the area but its eruption is expected to affect tourism.
Kilauea illuminates the Sacred Heart Church in Pahoa. Photo / Mario Tama, Getty
The closure of the Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park could cost the local economy more than $200 million, the National Park Service said.
