Hawaii's Kilauea volcano claimed its first injury after a man was 'lava-bombed' while sitting on his porch
- Kilauea volcano erupted on Thursday on Hawaii's Big Island, sending ash flying into the air and lava pouring into the streets.
- One man was seriously injured when he was "lava-bombed" by spatter that hit his leg.
- Residents have evacuated the area, which is full of dangerous gases and rapidly flowing lava.
A Hawaiian man was hospitalized after he was "lava-bombed" while sitting on his porch.
Hawaii News Now reported that the man was on his third-floor balcony in Pahoa when the lava "hit him on the shin, and shattered everything from there down on his leg," according to spokeswoman Janet Snyder.
The lava came from Kilauea volcano, which erupted Thursday morning on Big Island, sending ash 30,000 feet into the air and forcing residents to evacuate. The unidentified man - who is in stable condition - is believed to be the first person injured from the Kilauea eruption.
Talmadge Magno, a Hawaii civil defense administrator, told the Honolulu Star Advertiser that "the injury was quite bad, serious to his leg." Snyder told Reuters that lava spatter "can weigh as much as a refrigerator" and noted that "even small pieces of spatter can kill."
According to Australia's News.com, fresh magma from Kilauea's eruption has started to mix with decades-old magma, sending a flow of lava into roads and to the ocean. Thousands of people who live near the lava flows have been forced to evacuate their homes.
The Washington Post has reported that at least 23 fissures have been created by Kilauea's heightened activity. One fissure is releasing lava that has reached Highway 137 - shutting down a four-mile stretch of the road - and dozens of homes have been destroyed. Officials are also warning residents about toxic sulfur dioxide gas released into the air from the fissures.