Hawaiian man pulls gun on neighbour. / CBS This Morning
As lava threatens to take their homes and escape routes are blocked, tensions are rising in the residential areas near Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island.
An argument between neighbours John Hubbard, 61, and Ethan Edwards, 32, escalated on Tuesday when Hubbard pulled out a gun.
Edwards lived in thearea and had come back to check the damage on his home, which had been consumed by lava.
A video of the altercation, which cuts in about halfway through the argument, shows Edwards lunge towards the gun and Hubbard push him back. When Edwards lunges a second time, Hubbard fires a warning shot just above his head.
As Edwards screams: "You've gotta be kidding, I live here', Hubbard yells at him to: "Get the f*** out of here".
John Hubbard, left, and Ethan Edwards were arguing in a residential area affected by Kilauea when Hubbard, 61, pulled out a gun and fired a warning shot. Photo / Facebook
Edwards is seen ducking as Hubbard continues to point his gun. Others nearby try to tell the man Edwards and his friends, who were with him at the time, live in the area.
Police arrived and arrested Hubbard. He was charged with first-degree reckless assault, the MailOnline reported.
Edwards told officers he had returned with friends to see his home, which had been destroyed by lava flowing out of the Kilauea volcano, before Hubbard arrived in his truck and told them to leave.
More than 70 homes have been lost in the disaster, which is threatening to close the last escape route. Photo / Getty Images
Sharing the video of the event on Facebook, 32-year-old Edwards said he and his friends were all "okay physically, just shaken psychologically".
"[I'm] happy to be alive. Be careful out there folks. This situation is really beginning to take its toll psychologically and the bad weather is contributing to emotional tensions. Folks are breaking down," he wrote.
On Wednesday, the USGS said "vigorous eruptions" were continuing in the east rift zone of Kilauea, which has been erupting since May 3.
One fissure, or crack, in the volcano is spouting lava up to 80m into the air, and the lava flow was less than a kilometre from Highway 137 - the last route of escape for residents remaining in the area.
More than 70 homes have been lost in the natural disaster, which is threatening to close off the last escape route. Photo / Getty
There are about 500 homes in the area, and the number of homes consumed by lava skyrocketed from 41 to more than 70 this week.
The lava has been moving at speed, and hardened magma is now forming channels that help fresh lava move through the area faster. Scientists told CBS it was now covering about six football fields an hour.
And while local workers are feverishly working on backup plans to ensure there is a way out for those who need to leave, the National Guard has two helicopters on standby.
Each helicopter can carry out about 45 people at a time.
