A stream of lava has set a home on fire in a rural Hawaii town that has been watching the slow-moving flow for months.
The molten rock hit the house around midday on Monday. The home's renters already had left the residence in Pahoa, the largest town in Big Island's isolated and mostly agricultural Puna district.
It could take 30 to 40 minutes for the home to burn down, said Hawaii county civil defence director Darryl Oliveira.
The lava from Kilauea volcano emerged from a vent in June and entered Pahoa on October 26, when it crossed a country road at the edge of town. Since then, it has smothered part of a cemetery and burned down a garden shed. It also burned tyres, some metal materials and mostly vegetation in its path.
Firefighters will basically let a structure burn but fight any fires that spread or threaten other structures, Oliveira said.
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A relative of the home's owners, who live on the mainland, was planning to be at the site to watch the house burn, Oliveira said. He said officials made arrangements for homeowners to watch any homes burn as a means of closure and to document the destruction for insurance purposes.
The leading edge of the molten rock had stalled on October 30, but lava was breaking away at several spots upslope. The leading edge remained about 146.3 metres from Pahoa Village Road, the main route that goes through downtown.
Crews have been working on alternate routes to be used when lava hits Highway 130, considered a lifeline for the Puna district.
Many residents have evacuated or are ready to leave if necessary.
