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Lava from Kilauea Volcano’s 2007 Thanksgiving Eve breakout vent reached another Kalapana Gardens home this evening, sparking a fire that completely engulfed the structure.
The flow had been moving slowly but surely toward the vacated home since yesterday, coming within three feet by mid-afternoon. By 5:30, the house was ablaze.
Big Island fire officials said no other structures in the subdivision are currently threatened.
Lava from the vent continues to flow through tubes downslope to the Puhi o Kalaikini ocean entry southwest of Kalapana Gardens, with several breakouts on the coastal plain and cliffs west-northwest of the subdivision.
Hawaii County Civil Defense closed the public lava viewing area today due to volcanic hazards.
