Hawaii: 5.4-Mag, 6.9-Mag Quakes Trigger Major Volcano Eruption

Lava destroyed multiple homes in Hawaii County Friday, after the Kilauea volcano erupted. A spokeswoman for the county, Kanani Aton, explained that two vents from the volcano have continued to spill lava.

RELATED: 
Caribbean: Scientist Get Rare Glimpse of Kick-‘em-Jenny Volcano

Eight vents have been reportedly formed since Thursday. And, of the remaining five, some are releasing steam and gas while others remain dormant. U.S. Geological Survey geologist, Janet Babb, added that two additional vents had been discovered overnight.

The BBC reported, citing an eyewitness, that the eruption "was like when someone plays the bass really heavy: you could really feel the power and the lava."

"The color was unbelievable, and the sound was unbelievable," the witness added. "You could hear and feel the eruption a good half a mile away, and the closer you got, the more you could feel it."

Kilauea's crater - known as Puu Oo - began to collapse, on Monday, triggering multiple earthquakes. The persistent activity resulted in the level of the lava lake dropping significantly, indicating the magma was pushed into newly formed chambers.

“The magma moving down the rift zones, it causes stress on the south flank of the volcano,” Babb said. “We’re just getting a series of earthquakes.”

Over 1,700 people have been evacuated from Hawaii's Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens communities following the seismic activity resulting from magnitude-5.4 and magnitude-6.9 earthquakes. The Civil Defense Agency has told remaining residents to evacuate as there were deadly levels of dangerous sulfur dioxide gas in the air, which could obstruct or prevent rescues.

State senator Russell Ruderman said that first tremor “scared the heck out of me,” adding that when the larger quake followed he felt strong shaking 45 minutes away. “We’re all rattled right now,” he said. “It’s one thing after another. It’s feeling kind of stressful out here.”

The quakes triggered rock slides on park trails and crater walls and temporarily knocked out power to about 14,400 customers.

Hawaii's Governor, David Ige, said the military reserves has been activated to provide evacuation assistance to the National Guard.

Kilauea, one of five volcanoes on Hawaii's Big Island, has been erupting since 1983. In 2014, lava burned a house and destroyed a cemetery near the town of Pahoa. From 1990 to 1991 lava claimed the town of Kalapana, burning homes and covering roads and gardens.

Scientists predict that the eruptions and earthquakes with continue.