Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Eager visitors flock to see spectacular lava fountaining from Kilauea eruption in Hawaii

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park officials are bracing for crowds eager to get a glimpse of lava fountaining from an eruption

Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
Thursday 16 January 2025 02:00 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

People were flocking to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Wednesday to get a glimpse of fountaining lava.

The eruption that began Dec. 23 in a crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano has paused periodically. It resumed Wednesday morning as a “small sluggish lava flow,” and then increased into a fountain that appeared to be 200 feet (60 meters) high, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

By the afternoon, visitors to the national park on the Big Island were able to see two fountains from an overlook.

The observatory said it was possible fountain heights would increase as more gas-rich lava erupted.

“The park is already very busy with people eager to see the eruption and we expect visitation to increase as the news gets out again,” Jessica Ferracane, park spokesperson, said in an email.

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park encompasses the summits of two of the world’s most active volcanoes: Kilauea and Mauna Loa.

The eruption is visible from many public overlooks in the park. The lava is not posing a hazard to homes or infrastructure.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in