NEW YORK: Lava which was slowly making its way toward communities in a rural part of Hawaii’s Big Island, took just 45 minutes to burn down an empty house.
Fire fighters standing by to tackle any spreading wildfires let the flames consume the 1,100-square-foot structure Monday afternoon as a relative of the homeowner watched and recorded video of the destruction with an iPhone.
It was the first house burned down by a lava flow from Kilauea volcano that scientists have been warning the public about since August. And it likely won’t be the last.
The home’s nearest neighbour is about a half-mile away, Hawaii County Civil Defence Director Darryl Oliveira said. A garage and barn structure near the destroyed home could also burn down soon, he said.
The lava emerged from a vent in June and entered Pahoa Oct. 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 tires, some metal materials and mostly vegetation in its path.
The leading edge of the lava flow had bypassed the home, but it was a lobe of lava that broke out upslope and widened that reached the house. Where the lava will reach next, and when, is hard to predict.
The county estimates the value of the destroyed home at about $200,000, Oliveira said. The renters of the home left in August .Oliveira said officials would make 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 Oct. 30, but lava was breaking away at several spots upslope. The leading edge remained about 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road on Monday, a main street 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.
