HONOLULU (AP) – Lava poured into two oceanfront Big Island neighborhoods quickly, covering hundreds of homes, vaporizing a nearby crater lake and filling an ocean bay, turning it into a new mile-long (1.6 kilometer) peninsula.
Officials with the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday that the entire neighborhood of Vacationland has been covered by lava, and the nearby Kapoho subdivision has only a few structures remaining.
County officials say there are 279 homes between the two coastal communities, and most are feared to be destroyed. At least 117 homes have already been taken by lava in the Lanipuna Gardens and Leilani Estates neighborhoods where lava surfaced more than a month ago.
This satellite image provided by Digital Globe captured June 5, 2018, shows Kilauea summit crater in Hawaii. Lava from the Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds of homes in a mostly rural area on the Big Island of Hawaii overnight. It’s the largest number of destroyed homes since the eruption began last month. A spokeswoman for Hawaii County says an exact count of destroyed homes has yet to be determined. (Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via AP)
Scientists are still recording vigorous volcanic activity in the area and say there’s no way to know when it will end.
This image taken from video on Monday, June 4, 2018, and provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava from a fissure flowing into the ocean at Kapoho Bay at Kapoho on the island of Hawaii. After overrunning the town overnight and destroying hundreds of homes, the lava flowed into the shallow bay and had nearly filled it. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
This satellite image provided by Digital Globe captured June 5, 2018, shows lava flows on most of Kapoho Bay in Hawaii. Lava from the Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds of homes in a mostly rural area on the Big Island of Hawaii overnight. It’s the largest number of destroyed homes since the eruption began last month. (Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via AP)
This satellite image provided by Digital Globe captured June 3, 2018, shows advancing lava flows as they approach Kapoho Bay in Hawaii. Lava from the Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds of homes in a mostly rural area on the Big Island of Hawaii overnight. It’s the largest number of destroyed homes since the eruption began last month. A spokeswoman for Hawaii County says an exact count of destroyed homes has yet to be determined. (Satellite Image ©2018 DigitalGlobe, a Maxar company via AP)
This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows an early-morning view of Halema’uma’u Crater and the Klauea Caldera from the Klauea overlook at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park on the island of Hawaii, Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Heavy steam dominates the view, and strong winds are blowing the plume to the southwest. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
This image taken from video on Monday, June 4, 2018 and provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava from a fissure flowing into the ocean at Kapoho Bay at the town of Kapoho on the island of Hawaii. See the structure at lower left for scale. The flow front was about a half-mile wide, with lava building a delta a few hundred yards into the bay. Hundreds of homes were destroyed overnight. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
In this May 19, 2018 photo, lava from Kilauea volcano can be seen lighting the night sky from Kapoho resident Mark Johnson’s citrus farm near Pahoa, Hawaii. Lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds more homes in the Kapoho and Vacationland neighborhoods overnight, inundating two oceanfront communities that were advised to evacuate last week, officials said Tuesday, June 5. Johnson evacuated from the neighborhood last week as the lava approached, and now most of his neighborhood has been covered by the lava flow. Johnson doesn’t know if his home and farm, which sits on a small hill, survived the lava flow and he has no access to his property. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
In this May 19, 2018 photo, lava from Kilauea volcano can be seen lighting the night sky from Kapoho resident Mark Johnson’s citrus farm near Pahoa, Hawaii. Lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds more homes in the Kapoho and Vacationland neighborhoods overnight, inundating two oceanfront communities that were advised to evacuate last week, officials said Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Johnson evacuated from the neighborhood last week as the lava approached, and now most of his neighborhood has been covered by the lava flow. Johnson doesn’t know if his home and farm, which sits on a small hill, survived the lava flow and he has no access to his property. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
This photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava fountaining at a fissure near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Lava from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano destroyed hundreds more homes overnight, overtaking two oceanfront communities where residents were advised to evacuate last week, officials said Tuesday. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
This photo from video provided by the U.S. Geological Survey from the late evening hours of Monday, June 4, 2018, shows shows lava fountaining at a fissure, near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii Tuesday, June 5, 2018. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
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