The recent eruptions from several volcanic vents in a residential neighborhood on Hawaii’s Big Island have prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents. The Hawaiian Volcanoes Observatory said eight lava fissures had opened under Leilani Estates over the past few days. The opening of the fissures and lava flow from Kilauea Volcano follow a series of earthquakes, including a magnitude-6.9 quake on Friday, and the earlier collapse of a nearby crater, emptying the lake of lava within. The unfolding disaster is unpredictable, and may take a very long time to calm down enough to allow residents to return.
Photos of Kilauea's Newest Lava Fissures on Hawaii's Big Island
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Read moreA 2,000-foot-long fissure erupts within the Leilani Estates subdivision, on the east rift zone of the Kilauea volcano threatening homes of hundreds in Hawaii, on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreLava erupts from a fissure in Leilani Estates subdivision on Hawaii's Big Island on May 4, 2018. #
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Read moreOn the morning of May 5, 2018, lava from fissure 7 slowly advanced to the northeast on Hookapu Street in Leilani Estates subdivision on Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone, burning trees and power poles. #
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Read moreResults of the eruption from Kilauea at night on May 4, 2018. #
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Read moreIn this photo released by U.S. Geological Survey, lava is shown burning trees and ground cover in the Leilani Estates subdivision near the town of Pahoa on May 3, 2018 #
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Read moreOn May 4, 2018, a column of robust, reddish-brown ash plume occurred on the south flank of Kilauea, after a magnitude 6.9 earthquake shook the Big Island of Hawaii. #
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Read moreLava from Fissure 5, visible on May 4, 2018. #
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Read moreLava creeps across the road in the Leilani Estates subdivision on May 5, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. #
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Read moreAfter a mandatory evacuation, Leilani Estates residents line up on the road leading to the area, on May 4, 2018. Due to unsafe conditions in the area, authorities were not allowing residents back to their homes. #
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Read moreSteaming cracks appear on May 4, 2018, in Leilani Estates, moments before a fissure opened up on Kaupili Street. #
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Read moreA panoramic view of a lava fissure cutting through Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018, at the corner of Leilani Street and Pohoiki Road. Earlier, a crack opened on Pohoiki Road (right) just east of Leilani Street. #
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Read moreA mailbox stands near the lava flow in Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreLava glows from a vent on a lava bed at Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreVolcanic gas streams out of a vent around a sign in Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreLeilani Estates resident Sam Knox watches the lava stretch across the road on May 5, 2018. Knox's home is less than a few hundred yards from the lava flow and he does not have any plans to evacuate. He said he was hopeful the lava will not take his home. #
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Read morePower lines are pulled down by lava in Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreTi leaves on branches stand as a sacred offering in the cracks in roads in Leilani Estates on May 5, 2018. #
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Read moreA power line and transformer lay on top of a lava flow on May 5, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii. #
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Read moreKilauea volcano erupts, on May 4, 2018, seen from Kalapana, Hawaii. #
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Read moreHow Kilauea's 800-foot-wide Pu'u O'o crater appeared less than two weeks ago—completely full of lava, on April 23, 2018. For the previous month and a half, the crater floor of Pu'u O'o experienced ongoing uplift, which generated cracks on the crater floor. #
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Read moreHow Kilauea's Pu'u O'o crater appeared on May 3, 2018—completely drained of lava. In this photo released by U.S. Geological Survey, a plume of ash rises from the Pu'u O'o vent on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano. #
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Read moreIn this still frame taken from video, lava flows over a road in the Puna District as a result of the eruption from Kilauea Volcano on May 4, 2018. #
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Read moreFissure 3 at Leilani and Kaupili Streets in Leilani Estates on May 4, 2018. Lava on the road was approximately 2 meters thick. #
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Read moreLava from the Kilauea volcano flows across a road in Leilani Estates, on Hawaii's Big Island, on May 5, 2018. #
Marco Garcia / AP
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