Lava spewing up to 90 metres high from an erupting Hawaiian volcano has destroyed 35 homes and other buildings, as evacuated residents returning for brief home visits are warned to be ready to flee at a moment's notice.
Many of the 1,700 people under orders to evacuate from the Leilani Estates neighbourhood on the eastern side of the Big Island were permitted to return home during daylight hours on Sunday and Monday, during a lull in seismic activity from Kilauea.
"Be prepared to evacuate at a moment's notice," the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said in an alert on its website.
Residents of a second area, Lanipuna Gardens, were barred from returning home on Monday due to deadly volcanic gases.
Leilani Estates, some 19km from the volcano, was evacuated due to the risk of sulphur dioxide gas, which can be life threatening at high levels.
"Please, the residents of Leilani need our help. This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area," the agency said.
Kilauea, which began exploding on Thursday with fountains and rivers of lava flowing into neighbourhoods, has opened 10 volcanic vents since then, officials said. Lava was not flowing from any of the vents on Monday.
So far, no deaths or major injuries have been reported, but the civil defense agency said at least 35 structures had been destroyed, many of them homes.
The south east corner of the island was rocked by a powerful magnitude 6.9 earthquake on the volcano's south flank on Friday, the strongest tremor since 1975, and more earthquakes and eruptions have been forecast, perhaps for months to come.
Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes and one of five on the island, has been in constant eruption for 35 years. It predominantly blows off basaltic lava in effusive eruptions that flow into the ocean but occasionally experiences more explosive events.
"It's been a bit of a chaotic week, a very stressful situation. It's one of those hopeless, helpless outlooks. It's hard to explain but the lava is right behind my house and it's pretty surreal," Leilani Estates homeowner Jared McManus told Reuters.
The semi-rural wooded area had become a magnet for newcomers to the Big Island of Hawaii, home to about 200,000 people, who were prepared to risk living near an active volcano for more affordable real estate.
