Residents and government officials watched helplessly as hot, molten lava flowed through a village in Pahoa, Hawaii and destroyed a residential home among other personal property in the rural town. The lava was said to have originated and flowed from a vent in the Kilauea volcano that erupted in June, and it has gradually made its way toward the village without anybody being able to do anything about its progress.
Located in the agrarian district of Puna, Pahoa is the largest town on Big Island and supports quite a considerable population of people. The owners of the home torched by the flowing molten rock and flame had left their home before the disaster struck, and within 45 minutes of hitting the house, the 1,100 square foot property got razed to the ground by the hot lava.
The Hawaiian County Civil Defense Director, Darryl Oliveira reports that that molten lava had destroyed a number of properties without much deterrence before hitting the residential home – where an estimated loss of $200,000 was recorded. A makeshift corrugated steel storage shed was razed down by the lava before hitting the home, and a garage cum bar structure also got burned down by the flowing flames.
A local cemetery was not spared by the lava, and car tires and metal structures as well as natural vegetation were consumed as the molten lava moved toward the rural town of Pahoa. According to Oliveira, firefighters deployed to the scene and some other parts of the town will only be able to put out fires or wildfires generated from the lava, but can’t really deal with the lava if it touches any housing property. He also notes that residents of the rural town are ready to move out if it really came to it.
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