Overflight Video: Lava Torches Hundreds of Homes

Videographer Mick Kalber released this video of an overflight of the Kapoho area of the Big Island on Tuesday, June 5, 2018, with Paradise Helicopters.

June 5, 2018 Lava Torches Hundreds of Homes from Mick Kalber on Vimeo.

Kalber states:

Kīlauea Volcano’s current eruption centered in Leilani Estates on the Big Island of Hawai‘i has destroyed nearly 200 homes over the past day and a half.

The beach communities of Kapoho Beach Lots and Vacationland, some six miles downslope from the main active vent were inundated late Sunday evening. By this morning, lava had absolutely decimated the pristine coastal vacation spots, which included some of the best snorkeling reefs in East Hawaii.

Many of the homes in the upscale gated community of Kapoho Beach Lots were valued at several million dollars each. These were vacation homes and rentals, as well as primary residences.

This latest disaster brings the total structures lost over the past month to well over 400.

The eruption, which has advanced up to 656 yards per hour, and fountained up to 250 in the air, has covered 7.7 square miles of land, and destroyed well over 400 total structures in just over a month.

Residents of the Puna District in East Hawai‘i are reeling from this latest blow, many displaced, seeking shelter with friends, relatives, and in community facilities throughout the island.