U.S. Geological Survey via AP
This image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava spattering from an area between active Fissures 16 and 20 photographed at 8:20 a.m. HST, on the lower east rift of the Kilauea volcano, near Pahoa, Hawaii.
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano exploded Thursday morning, sending an ash plume thousands of feet into the sky.
The eruption occurred shortly after 4 a.m. local time, Hawaii's Civil Defense Agency said. The eruption shot ash more than 30,000 feet up. Authorities evacuated people from around Kilauea's crater area and warned those in the vicinity of the volcano to take shelter.
The volcanic eruptions on Hawaii's Big Island have been escalating for about two weeks, causing severe damage to residential neighborhoods surrounding the Kilauea volcano. Over 1,000 people have been evacuated so far.
Beyond the immediate fire danger from the lava, high levels of sulfur dioxide spewing from the volcano pose a serious threat to children, elderly people, and people with respiratory issues, the United States Geological Survey warned.
Dramatic photos show lava pouring into residential neighborhoods around a series of volcanic fissures that have opened. Here's what it looks like on the ground.