In Pics: Red-hot lava nears Hawaii home and main road

Pahoa, Hawaii : A breakout of the lava flow was about 100 feet (30 meters) from a Pahoa residence about the length of a basketball court, said Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira. The couple who lives in the home has left. Scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory who are walking alongside the lava reported its leading edge was 240 yards (219 meters) from Pahoa Village Road, which goes through a commercial hub of the Big Island's sprawling and isolated Puna district. The leading edge remained in a large agricultural parcel that included another house, which was about 100 yards (91 meters) from the lava, Oliveira said. Dozens of homes, business and other structures are in the area of the lava flow. That amount could increase as the flow front widens.So far lava has burned a garden shed, tires and some metal materials. On Wednesday, it burned mostly vegetation, while the rain helped tamp down smoke from the crackling stream. Officials are monitoring hazards from the smoke. Chemists from the observatory detected only low levels of sulfur dioxide, Oliveira said. The lava flow emerged from a vent in June and until recently had been slowly weaving through uninhabited forest and pastureland.Jeff and Denise Lagrimas packed up to leave for a town 14 miles (22 kilometers) away. The flow is expected to slither past properties across the street from their home as it works its way toward the ocean, about 6 miles (9 kilometers) away. They decided not to stay and see if that happens or if the lava burns their home. Scientists from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory who are walking alongside the lava reported its leading edge was 240 yards (220 meters) from Pahoa Village Road, which goes through a commercial hub of the Big Island's sprawling and isolated Puna district. "This is just a little quiet village in a very rural community. We farm, we fish, we hunt," said Jamila Dandini. "We're going to be an island on an island." The leading edge remained in a large agricultural parcel that included another house, which was about 100 yards (91 meters) from the lava, Oliveira said. Dozens of homes, business and other structures are in the area of the lava flow. That number could increase as the flow front widens. "The people who are meant to stay will stay. The people that have to leave, sadly, will leave," Dandini said. So far, lava has burned a garden shed, tires and some metal materials. On Wednesday, it burned mostly vegetation, while the rain helped tamp down smoke from the crackling stream. Officials are monitoring hazards from the smoke. Chemists from the observatory detected only low levels of sulfur dioxide, Oliveira said. The lava flow emerged from a vent in June and until recently had been slowly weaving through uninhabited forest and pastureland. The flow is expected to slither past properties across the street from Jeff and Denise Lagrimas' home as it works its way toward the ocean, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) away. The Lagrimases decided not to stay and see if the lava burns their home. They packed up to leave for a town 14 miles (22 kilometers) away. "I don't want to stick around and just wait for it to come and take it," Denise Lagrimas said while taking a break from loading kitchen cups and bowls in cardboard boxes. "You just never know." She said they decided to move to Kurtistown because it's a safe distance away. "Never in my wildest dreams as a kid growing up did I think I would be running from lava," Denise Lagrimas said. Erbin Gamurot, 48, a handyman, said Pele, the volcano goddess, just wants to visit her sister, Namakaokahai, the sea goddess. "She gotta go see her sister. She gotta go say hi. You know how family are. It's all good," Gamuret said.Lava that has entered a rural Hawaii town has been described as a disaster in slow motion. After months of creeping through uninhabited areas of the Big Island, it reached Pahoa this week, crossing a residential street, burning down a garden shed and inching toward homes and a main road that goes through downtown.The lava is from Kilauea, one of the most active volcanos in the world. It has been actively erupting since 1983.HOW PREDICTABLE IS ITS PATH?Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory have the tools to monitor active volcanos to determine if an eruption is imminent and forecast the path of a lava flow.But lava is still a natural phenomenon, and much like a hurricane, some uncertainty remains.The Big Island's topography contributes to deviations in the lava's route, said volcanologist Loyc Vanderkluysen, an assistant professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia who earned a doctorate degree from the University of Hawaii.The lava emerged from a vent in June. It started moving through thick vegetation that made it difficult at times to see deviations in topography, he said.But it's looking like the lava is headed to Pahoa Village Road, which runs through downtown.“Laterally it might be a little to the right or left, but it will head to the road”—unless it suddenly stops moving, Vanderkluysen said.What's less predictable is where a new branch will sprout from the miles (kilometers)-long flow and spread in other directions.“We don't have a good grasp of where breakouts are going to happen,” he said.HOW HOT IS THE LAVA?About 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit (1,148 Celsius), according to Janet Babb, spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. “Ten times hotter than boiling water.”But the temperature starts to drop after the lava is exposed to air.“The crust cools down, and you can walk on it after a few days,” Vanderkluysen said.CAN ANYTHING BE DONE TO STOP IT?“Lava diversion is a very complex issue,” Babb said. “It's a complex legal, political, technical and cultural issue.”Residents have expressed anger at suggestions to divert the Kilauea flow, saying it's culturally insensitive to interfere with the will of Pele, the Hawaiian volcano goddess.Attempts were made to stop flows from Italy's Mount Etna by building trenches and concrete walls. But that was only partially successful.Such efforts also are extremely expensive, noted Vanderkluysen.