Lava From Kilauea ’Collapse Explosion’ Destroys Hawaii Structures

A “collapse explosion” at the summit of Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano on Wednesday sent a surge of lava that destroyed structures in an evacuated housing development, geologists and civil defense authorities said. The blast sparked by the gradual collapse of the volcano’s crater was equivalent to a 5.3 magnitude earthquake and caused lava to burst from a fissure 25 miles (40 km) east, destroying at least one home in Leilani Estates, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Hawaii County Civil Defense said. These lava surges on Hawaii’s Big Island have become an increased concern during the volcano’s 11-week eruption, which has destroyed some 712 homes but so far claimed no lives, according to the County of Hawaii.