The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed that the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted early Wednesday morning.
Published Jun 7, 2023 11:48 AM EDT | Updated Jun 7, 2023 1:14 PM EDT
The Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island erupted early on Wednesday morning, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
“At approximately 4:44 a.m. HST on June 7, 2023, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory detected glow in Kīlauea summit webcam images indicating that an eruption has commenced,” USGS wrote in an update.
Under the cover of darkness early Wednesday morning, the eruption could clearly be seen on the USGS webcam. Spewing red and orange lava could be seen bursting from the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
As the sun rose on Wednesday, lava lakes, geysers and clouds of volcanic smoke could still be seen on the USGS live camera.
In this webcam image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, an eruption takes place on the summit of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii, Wednesday morning, June 7, 2023. (U.S. Geological Survey via AP)
The Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (Hawaii EMA) confirmed the eruption started just before 5 a.m. HST on Wednesday. The alert level was raised from an orange watch to a red warning.
“At this time there is no indication that populated areas are threatened,” Hawaii EMA wrote on Twitter.
Kilauea, which is located in the Hawaii Volcano National Park, is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. The last time the Kilauea volcano erupted was earlier this year, on Jan. 5, according to USGS. The eruption lasted three months and ended on March 7.
This eruption comes just over five years after the 2018 eruption, which destroyed over 700 homes and devastated residential areas. In 2018, the cone of the volcano collapsed, which triggered an eruption that lasted for four months.
Between June 4 and 5, the northeastern flow of lava quickly spread and destroyed the subdivision of Vacationland Hawaii, which displaced more than 400 residents, according to the Star Advertiser.
The 2018 eruption is still considered to be the largest eruption in centuries, according to the National Park Service.
This is a developing story. Continue to follow for updates.
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