Wildfire burning near Nāpau Crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park; Kīlauea not erupting

At about 4 p.m. on Sunday, a plume from a wildfire became visible on the south side of the Nāpau Crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park.

This fire could be seen on a webcam and is in the vicinity of the recent eruption of Kīlauea, but the volcano is not erupting, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported Monday morning.

Overnight, intermittent glow was visible from south of the vents that erupted from Sept. 15-20 in a remote area of Kīlauea’s middle East Rift Zone.

Geophysical monitoring signals did not indicate that an eruption was occurring, and an overflight at about 11:30 a.m. today confirmed that the plume and glow were due to a small wildfire, the observatory’s status report said.

The Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remains at ADVISORY/YELLOW.

Nāpau Crater and Campground were inundated with lava from the recent eruption and remain closed to all use until further notice. For more visitor information, go to the Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park website by clicking here. 

For more information about the meaning of volcano alert levels and aviation color codes, see https://www.usgs.gov/programs/VHP/volcanic-alert-levels-characterize-conditions-us-volcanoes.