Kilauea volcano eruption: 'I felt like the hill was going to explode'

Lava from the Kilauea volcano moves across the road in Leilani Estates, Hawaii. Photo / AP

Hundreds of anxious residents on the Big Island of Hawaii hunkered down for what could be weeks or months of upheaval as the dangers from an erupting Kilauea volcano continued to grow.

Lava spurted from volcanic vents, toxic gas filled the air and strong earthquakes - including a magnitude 6.9 temblor at the weekend - rocked an already jittery population.

The trifecta of natural threats forced the evacuation of more than 1700 people from communities near the lava and prompted the closure of parks, college campuses and a section of the main road through the area on the Big Island's southern tip.

Five structures have burned and thousands of customers briefly lost power from one of the larger quakes.

Tesha "Mirah" Montoya, 45, said toxic fumes escaping from the lava vents weren't enough to make her family evacuate, but the tipping point were the earthquakes. "I felt like the whole side of our hill was going to explode. The earthquake was what made us start running and start throwing guinea pigs and bunnies in the car."

Montoya, her husband and daughter don't know how long they will be away from the house they built nearly 20 years ago. "My heart and soul's there," she said from a cabin on the north side of the Big Island.

Tina Neal, the scientist in charge of the US Geological Survey's Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, warned distressed residents at a community meeting that eruptions could last longer than the ones from earlier last week, and earthquakes and aftershocks could continue for days, even weeks.

Gary McMillan said his home is about 914m from one of the fissures that is spewing lava and gas into Leilani Estates. He has remote cameras set up in his home and says that as of now his home is still intact. He's living out of his van with his wife at the nearby community centre.

The lava lake at Kilauea's summit crater dropped significantly, suggesting the magma was moving eastward toward Puna, a mostly rural district. Officials warned of the dangers of spattering hot rock and high levels of sulfuric gas.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park evacuated all visitors and non-emergency staff. The quakes triggered rock slides on park trails and crater walls. Narrow fissures appeared on the ground at a building overlooking the crater at Kilauea's summit. The University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College both closed campuses and a stretch of Highway 130 was closed because of the threat of sulfuric gas.

- AP