Hawaii Volcanoes National Park reported today that an explosion at Kilauea volcano’s summit Saturday night hurled molten and solid rock onto the rim of Halemaumau Crater and destroyed the power system for a scientific instrument used in volcano research.

Janet Babb of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said the power supply, data logger and charging station were destroyed, amounting to several thousands of dollars worth of damage.

In addition, scientists must still investigate the working order of the scientific instrument, which measures gravity on the rim, Babb said.

The explosion, which occurred just after 10 p.m. Saturday, reportedly was so bright that it “turned night into day,” according to observatory officials

It left the southeast crater rim with a layer of rock fragments and particles about 8 inches thick in places, and lava bombs and spatter were lobbed nearly 300 feet beyond the crater rim at the closed overlook, extending over an area about 720 feet in width along the rim, officials said.

A park ranger who was on patrol at the closed Halemaumau Overlook parking lot witnessed the explosion before leaving the area, debris raining down on his vehicle, officials said.

The ranger, Tim Hopp, reported seeing the dark sky lit up bright orange, “so surreal and bright you could read a book,” and he noticed burning wires from the scientific equipment. He said the incident lasted a half hour.

According to the observatory, rocks in the vent wall can become unstable and crash into the lava lake when the level drops, which has been the pattern in the last few days.

Park officials say the incident further justifies the closure of the summit lava lake and Halemaumau Overlook and the partial closure of about four miles of the 11-mile Crater Rim Drive and Crater Rim Trail. Access has been restricted since 2008 when the current summit eruption began.

“This type of volcanic explosion is not that uncommon at the summit of Kilauea, and could have easily killed or seriously injured and burned anyone in the area,” Park Superintendent Cindy Orlando said in a press release. “Despite the closure, people continue to trespass into the closed area, putting themselves and first responders at great risk.”

An hour after the explosion, two people were cited for hiking into the closed area to get a closer look at the lava lake, park officials said.

The park has no plans to reopen the closed areas until the eruption from Halemaumau ends, Orlando said.