Lava oozing for months quickly ignites Hawaii home

[Omaha Steve]

http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141111/us--hawaii_volcano-e0c60a7a24.html

Nov 11, 8:31 AM (ET)

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER

HONOLULU (AP) — Lava has been slowly snaking its way toward rural Hawaii communities for months, but it took an oozing stream of molten rock just 45 minutes to burn down an empty house.

Firefighters standing by to tackle any spreading wildfires let the flames consume the 1,100-square-foot structure Monday afternoon as a relative of the homeowner watched and recorded video of the destruction with an iPhone.

It was the first house incinerated by a lava flow from Kilauea volcano on the Big Island that scientists have been warning the public about since August. And it likely won't be the last.

The home's nearest neighbor is about a half-mile away, Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said. A garage and barn structure near the destroyed home could also burn down soon, he said.

FULL story at link.



This Monday, Nov. 10, 2014 photo released by The County of Hawaii via Ena Media Hawai{2019}i/Blue Hawaiian Helicopters shows lava flow from the Kilauea Volcano near a residential structure in Pahoa, Hawaii. A stream of lava set a home on fire Monday in a rural Hawaii town that has been watching the slow-moving flow approach for months. (AP Photo/The County of Hawaii)