Light coats of gritty ash fall near erupting Hawaii volcano

Authorities have handed out thousands of masks for protection as people living near Hawaii's Kilauea volcano brace for pulverised rock, glass and crystal to rain down on them after an explosive eruption at the peak's summit.

Lindsey Magnani, her fiance Elroy Rodrigues and their two children picked up masks for their family yesterday at Cooper Centre in Volcano, Hawaii.

Magnani said both of her children - Kahele Rodrigues, 2, and Kayden Rodrigues, 3 months old - were doing OK, but her and her fiance had both been sneezing all day.

"This morning it smelled like sulfur so we had to close all the windows," Magnani said.

Most residents found only thin coatings of ash, if they saw any at all, as winds blew much of the 9000m plume away from people.

"It was a grit, like a sand at the beach," said Joe Laceby, who lives in the town of Volcano a few kilometres to the northeast of Kilauea's summit. The ash was a bit of an irritant, he said, but "not too bad". He sealed windows and cracks in his home with cellophane wrap and has gas masks to protect himself from the toxic fumes and ash.

The explosion at Kilauea's summit came after two weeks of volcanic activity that has sent lava flows into neighbourhoods and destroyed at least 26 homes. Scientists said the eruption was the most powerful in recent days, though it probably lasted only a few minutes.

Geologists have warned that the volcano could become even more violent, with increasing ash production and the potential that future blasts could hurl boulders the size of cows from the summit.

Julia Neal, operator of Pahala Plantation Cottages about 45km southwest of the summit crater, said people had been picking up ash masks from county civil defence workers at the local community center. Some people working outside were wearing them. People with asthma were staying inside, she said.

The eruption reminded her of 2008, when Kilauea also had large summit eruptions and sent ash and gas over her community.

A light dusting fell yesterday, but the town had more ash a couple of days ago when people had to wash it off their cars, she said.

The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory. Several schools closed because of the risk of elevated levels of sulfur dioxide.

Dr Josh Green, a state senator who represents part of the Big Island, said the immediate risk health risk comes from ash particles in the air. Anyone with respiratory difficulties, such as asthma or emphysema, should limit exposure to the ash, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration extended a restriction on aircraft from entering the airspace up to 9000m above sea level. The earlier limit was up to 3000m. The prohibition applies to an 8km radius around the crater.

Yesterday's eruption did not affect the Big Island's two largest airports in Hilo and in Kailua-Kona.

The crater spewing ash sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11 as a safety precaution over risks of a violent eruption.

Scientists warned on May 9 that a drop in the lava lake at the summit might create conditions for a large explosion. Geologists predicted such a blast would mostly release trapped steam from flash-heated groundwater.

Kilauea has also been erupting lava into neighbourhoods 40km to the east of the summit crater since May 3. It opened a new lava vent in the area - the 21st such fissure - on Thursday.

Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting continuously since 1983. It's among the five volcanoes that form the Big Island, and it's the only one actively erupting.

An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.

- AP