Hawai'i Volcano Blog

The Daniel K. Inouye Highway, or Saddle Road, is quite possibly the most important roadway on the island.

Three men from Kazakhstan were cited on Wednesday after being seen by three different law enforcement agencies, in the closed area of the Mauna Loa Forest Reserve.

Fissure 3 began spouting exceptionally tall fountains of lava last night.

The question of when and if the lava flow reaches and crosses Saddle Road is on everyone’s minds.

The leading edge of Mauna Loa’s fissure 3 lava flow is approximately 2 miles from Daniel K. Inouye Highway.

Thousands of vehicles are taking the 4.5-mile route on Old Saddle Road daily for a chance to see Mauna Loa’s lava flow.

Twenty Hawai‘i National Guard [HING] servicemembers were activated today to assist Hawai‘i County with the ongoing Mauna Loa eruption.

“The [Mauna Loa] lava flow is advancing sideways to the west and east about as fast as it is moving forward,” said Ken Hon, Scientist-in-Charge of Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The Mauna Loa eruption viewing area along the Daniel K. Inouye Highway has now reopened after Hawai’i County detonated an unexploded ordnance found in lava rocks on Sunday Morning.

The Mauna Loa lava flow is currently 2.25 miles from Daniel K. Inouye Highway and the leading edge is advancing at an average of 50 feet per hour.

This is the first time in 38 years that tourists and resident can witness simultaneous eruptions of Mauna Loa and Kīlauea.

Over the past 24 hours, the Mauna Loa lava flow is moving at an average of about 40 feet per hour while it is on relatively flat ground as it creeps toward Saddle Road, now just 2.4 miles away.

Hawaiian legends tell many stories about sisters Pele, the goddess of fire and volcanoes and Poli‘ahu, goddess of snow.

The Northeast Rift Zone is still active, with fissure 3 continuing to be the dominant source of the largest lava flow.

The state agency is also coordinating analysis of potential consequences to the Big Island economy, infrastructure, transportation network and other effects if the eruption were to eventually damage Daniel K. Inouye Highway or other significant systems.

HVO staff and County of Hawai‘i officials closely monitored the eruption overnight, tracking activity for any migration.

The new 4.5-mile one-way lava viewing route through Pōhakuloa Training Area land is an attempt to relieve congestion on Daniel K. Inouye Highway and address safety concerns while Mauna Loa is erupting.

There are two active flows on the Northeast Rift Zone of the volcano.

Two people were injured Tuesday night re-entering the roadway from the shoulder lane.

Lava was just 3.6 miles Wednesday morning from the Big Island’s main thoroughfare from east to west.