At least 35 buildings on Hawaii's Big Island were destroyed after the state's Kilauea volcano erupted, spewing hot lava from at least 12 fissures into surrounding streets and forests.
More than 1,700 residents have been evacuated as a result, Hawaii News Now reported.
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According to Live Science, Kilauea has always been an active volcano and has been erupting "almost continuously" since January 1983. But the latest lava inflation was out of the ordinary, geologist and Hawaiian Volcano Observatory spokesperson Janet Babb told Live Science.
On May 4, a series of earthquakes, including a 6.9 tremor on Friday, struck the island, followed by more volcanic eruptions. In a statement on Saturday, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said new cracks opened on a highway in the Leilani Estates area of the island, about a dozen miles from where the Kilauea volcano erupted Thursday.
Two new fissures opened up Monday.
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Hawaiians have since shared shocking footage of hot blobs of lava pouring into their residential neighborhoods.
According to NASA, in addition to the "lava-oozing fissures," the eruption also triggered sulfur dioxide plumes, which contributed to the prompt evacuations in the area.
"Everyone knows that it's not over," Hawaii Governor David Ige said, urging everyone in the area to be cautious.
Babb echoed the message, according to CBS affiliate KGMB in Honolulu.
"There's still magma within the rift zone," she said. "In the foreseeable future, this eruption is likely to continue."
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