Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Aerial footage shows spread of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano
The eruption of the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii has destroyed a total of 35 structures - mostly homes - and is threatening hundreds more.
Nearly 2,000 people have so far been evacuated. Some residents were allowed home to rescue pets, but authorities said it was not safe to stay.
New fissures and vents opened overnight in the Leilani Estates area, where lava leapt up to 230ft (70m) into the air.
The island was hit by a powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake on Friday.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Lava flows are continuing from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii
"When I evacuated on Thursday, I pretty much said goodbye because I have lived here a long time and seen what the lava does," local resident Ikaika Marzo told the BBC.
"I think it's just important for everybody just to be realistic."
Brenton Awa, another resident, said: "Knowing that these pets are still in cages, or in fences, or in chains without food makes my heart sore a little bit.
"That's one of the reasons we went in to feed some of the pets. It is just sad."
Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes and has been in constant eruption for 35 years.
Image copyright EPA Image caption Authorities say the fire has destroyed 26 homes on the island and is threatening hundreds more
Image copyright EPA Image caption Fissures and vents in the Leilani Estates area have spewed lava around homes
More than $35,000 (£26,000) has been raised for a primary school teacher who has "lost everything" in the Leilani Estates lava flow.
Amber Makuakane, a single mother-of-two evacuated on Friday carrying rubbish bags full of clothing and important documents, according to the fundraiser set up by her colleagues at Pahoa Elementary School.
"We are asking for donations to help her rebuild. If you know Amber, you know that she has the biggest heart and is always willing to help," the page said.
"She is not one who will ask for help, but we feel that she needs our support in this tragic time."
The Hawaii State Teachers Association confirmed her employment, and said a lava fissure opened up directly below her home, where she had lived for nine years.
"I honestly don't know where to begin or what to say, other than… MAHALO! MAHALO MAHALO!," Ms Makuakane said on GoFundMe, using a Hawaiian word meaning thanks.
Image copyright AFP Image caption Ten separate fissures have torn open the neighbourhood, about 40km from the volcano's crater
Image copyright AFP Image caption Some residents were allowed home to rescue pets after filling out forms. About 2,000 have been evacuated
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many are staying in emergency shelters, with no idea when they will be allowed to return home
Image copyright USGS Image caption The volcano erupted on Friday, following a magnitude 6.9 earthquake
Leilani Estates, Hawaii (CNN) The destructive tear of this volcanic eruption isn't over yet.
Lava and hazardous fumes are still spewing on Hawaii's Big Island on Monday, four days after the Kilauea volcano erupted.
By Monday morning, 35 structures -- including at least 26 homes -- had been destroyed, Hawaii Civil Defense said.
Authorities are now pleading with tourists and sightseers to avoid Leilani Estates, where lava and fumes are bursting through giant cracks in the ground.
"Please, the residents of Leilani need your help," Hawaii Civil Defense said. "This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area."
Even longtime residents on Big Island are astonished by the magnitude of this destruction.
"It's nothing that I've ever experienced on a personal level ever before," said Jessica Ferracane, a spokesperson for the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
First lava, then quakes
Kilauea volcano erupted Thursday, spewing molten rock and high levels of sulfur dioxide.
Even worse, cracks emerged in the volcano's East Rift Zone -- an area of fissures miles away from the volcano's summit.
All 1,700 residents of Leilani Estates, as well as nearby Lanipuna Gardens, were ordered to evacuate.
But now they have another fear: frequent earthquakes after the eruption.
"That's the big concern for everybody on the island," Ferracane said Monday. "The earthquakes continued through the night."
After a 6.9 magnitude quake struck Friday, Big Island has endured an average of one earthquake per hour
Residents return briefly
JUST WATCHED Lava spills through Hawaii neighborhood Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Lava spills through Hawaii neighborhood 01:12
Some Leilani Estates residents were able to return home to retrieve pets, medicine and vital documents.
But even a quick visit home could be dangerous.
"Please be aware that because of unstable conditions that involve toxic gas, earthquakes and lava activities, lines of safety can change at any time," Hawaii Civil Defense said. "You must be prepared to leave areas if required."
The Hawaii State Department of Education said all public schools on Big Island are open Monday, but that students absent due to evacuations would not be penalized. It said school buildings had been checked for earthquake damage and found to be safe.
Dangerous volcanic gases
The eruptions have released high levels of sulfur dioxide into the air, and the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says the gas can be life-threatening.
Breathing large amounts of sulfur dioxide can result in burning of the nose and throat, and breathing difficulties. Senior citizens, the young and people with respiratory issues are especially vulnerable to the gas, the state's Emergency Management Agency said
The Hawaii Department of Health has warned consumers that no masks sold to the general public in stores will protect against "the extremely dangerous volcanic gases" being released.
"First responders require special masks and training not available to private citizens," the department said in a statement Sunday.
"The best way to protect yourself and your family from the extremely dangerous volcanic gases is to leave the immediate area of the volcano defined by the police and fire department," it said.
The American Red Cross has opened two shelters at the Pahoa and Keaau Community Centers , where some evacuees have gathered while they await news about their homes.
'I've got what I've got on my back'
Resident Steve Gebbie initially stayed home when evacuations were ordered. But when he saw lava tear through the streets near his Leilani Estates home, he knew he needed to leave.
He didn't know what would become of his house, one he built with his own hands.
"Now it's trying to figure out what the future brings. ... My work. My job. Am I going to have to move to somewhere else on the island?" Gebbie asked.
"I'd have to start over at age 56. That's concerning."
Corey Hale said she wishes she had been able to get more things from her home in Lanipuna Gardens before she left -- like a compass that belonged to her great-grandfather.
"At this point, I've got what I've got on my back," she said. "I didn't realize until this morning, I've got one pair of shoes."
'A moment of panic'
When Jordan Sonner bought her property in 2016, she knew the neighborhood sat in the shadow of the Kilauea volcano.
She was also aware that one day the volcano could erupt, Sonner said, and lava could overtake the area. But she was more excited about her home and being a first-time homeowner.
Jordan Sonner
"At the time, I understood it as a possibility," she said. But she never thought it would be a reality.
Sonner was at work this week when she heard that lava had erupted in her neighborhood.
"It was a moment of panic," she said, "because the only thing I knew was, 'lava in Leilani.'"
After Hawaii's false ballistic missile alert in January , Sonner realized she didn't have an emergency plan. "I took that to heart, and I got myself and my dogs prepared just in case something were to happen."
This time she was ready. She had bags packed with her clothes, important documents and whatever her dogs would need. The only other item she took was a chain necklace that belonged to her late father.
"I've always said that's the only thing I would run back into a burning building for, barring people and animals," she said. "There wasn't anything that important."
“I couldn’t go up my road,” he said. “It had huge, huge coverage of lava, probably close to 10 feet tall.”
He drove around to another street, where an inch-wide crack, spewing steam and growing in size, bisected the road.
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“I debated, then I just decided to go, so I gunned it,” he said. When he got to his street, he knew his trip had been in vain.
He called two neighbors to tell them their houses were gone. “I look at mine and I can see my house burning,” he said. “At that point I called my wife and said there’s no reason for you to come, there’s nothing to get.”
According to an update from the civil defense agency, 35 structures have been destroyed.
The agency said residents of the Leilani subdivision would be allowed back into their neighborhood from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily to check on their property and remove possessions. Lanipuna Gardens was closed, however, because of dangerous volcanic gases, the agency said.
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Nonresidents were warned to keep away. “Please, the residents of Leilani need your help,” the agency said. “This is not the time for sightseeing. You can help tremendously by staying out of the area.”
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Fountains of lava have reached heights of 330 feet, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said. One video posted by the observatory showed orange and black lava belching smoke and flames as it crawled down a residential street. Other images taken by helicopter showed molten rock inching across the subdivision, setting alight the structures it touched.
While the property damage is increasing, no deaths or injuries have been reported.
Mr. Dalton, who works for Spectrum Cable, said he, his wife, Denise, their 4-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son were unscathed. But their house was a complete loss, and for now they are staying with friends.
He expressed frustration at not having been allowed to return earlier to remove items before his house burned. But he praised the support of his community, which has helped displaced families and created online networks that have been the quickest source for detailed information.
“Furniture, clothing, you name it, everything we own is gone,” he said. “We have two vehicles. I have my family, and I have my health. It could be worse.”
CLOSE Fiery lava flows through neighborhoods from the Kilauea volcano that erupted on Hawaii's Big Island. USA TODAY
Lava pours down a road in the Leilani Estates neighborhood on May 6, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii. (Photo: Trevor Hughes, USA TODAY)
More than two dozen homes have been destroyed by lava erupting from the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii's Big Island.
Scientists report lava and toxic gas spewing more than 200 feet in the air from cracks in the ground splintered by the volcano. More than 1,700 people have fled their homes. Some were allowed to briefly return Sunday, but there is no timeline for an end to the evacuation.
Still, some residents of the Leilani Estates neighborhood are unmoved by the threat — and say they won't move. Greg Webber said he isn't ready to flee despite watching eight of his neighbors’ homes burn.
“I won’t leave until it’s an inch from my house,” he said. “I’ve been through this a million times.”
Here is what we know:
When did the eruption begin?
Kilauea, one of five volcanoes on the island, is one of the world's most active volcanoes and has actually been erupting since 1983. The U.S. Geological Survey warned last month that pressure was building under the surface. The crater floor began to disintegrate a week ago, triggering a series of earthquakes.
More: Lava from Kilauea volcano destroys more homes on the Big Island
More: As lava continues to flow, evacuees anxious about homes, pets
What happened next?
Molten rock from the "lower East Rift Zone" of the volcano reached the surface Thursday, beginning its crawl into Leilani Estates, the USGS says. On Friday, a magnitude-6.9 earthquake rattled the region, Hawaii's most intense quake in more than four decades. Smaller aftershocks followed. Lava began slowly flowing into the neighborhood.
What happened Sunday?
The intermittent eruption of lava continued unabated, with one fissure spewing lava fountains until late afternoon. USGS noted that lava continued its advance, even after the lava fountains shut down. Geologists reported that lava crossed a road more than half a mile from the fissure. They also reported new ground cracks that were emitting thick steam and gases.
How expansive is the damage?
Lava has flowed across almost 400,000 square feet, or about eight acres. At least 26 homes have been destroyed. Yet the movement of the red-hot rock is so slow that grass remains green inches from the edge of the flow.
How dangerous are the emitted gases?
The Hawaii County Fire Department said "extremely high" levels of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas had been detected in the evacuation area. Elderly residents, young people, and others with respiratory issues were warned to take precautions.
When will it end?
It's unclear. Tracy Gregg, a volcano expert at the University at Buffalo, said it is impossible to determine when the current flow will end and how large the lava field will become. "It's behaving similarly to the lava flow that destroyed some property in Pahoa in 2014," she said. "That lava flow was over 14 miles long. If the current eruption continues in the same way, many more houses could be destroyed.”
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