Ten Thousand Ordered To Evacuate As Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Spews Lava 150 feet Into The Air

Hawaiian volcano spews lava into residential area after earthquakes

• Warning sirens sounded across the Big Island on Thursday after lava spewed from Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano
• Hawaii County Civil Defense urged the 10,000 residents of Leilani Estates, in Puna, to evacuate 
• Hawaiian Governor David Ige has activated the National Guard in the state to deal with the crisis
• Residents saw 'fountains of lava' shooting 150 feet in the air and lava spreading down suburban streets
• Thick smoke was also seen rising from the Puu Oo vent on Kilauea and a 5.0 earthquake struck the island 
• American Red Cross has opened two shelters for evacuees, with Uber offering free rides to and from them 
• Fire officials have reported dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide in the air, which can be deadly

Ten thousand Hawaii residents have been ordered to evacuate their homes after the Big Island's Kilauea volcano erupted and began spewing lava and deadly gases into the air.

The eruption was accompanied by a 5.0 magnitude earthquake, followed by hundreds of smaller tremors

Warning sirens sounded across the Big Island at 4.30pm on Thursday as Hawaii County Civil Defense urged residents of Leilani Estates, in Puna, to flee the approaching lava streams.

A 492ft fissure opened in the ground with lava flowing from it for around two hours, officials said, with magma a few feet before stopping. Geologists warned the eruption is still ongoing.

Dangerously high levels of sulfur dioxide have also been detected in the air, which is harmful to humans if breathed in and can cause acid rain after combining with water.

Lower Puna resident Ikaika Marzo told the Honolulu Star Advertiser that he saw 'fountains of lava' shooting 150 feet in the air and molten lava spreading down Mohala Street in Leilani Estates. 

Governor David Ige has declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to assist.

The county has ordered evacuations for all of Leilani Estates, which according to the 2010 U.S. Census has a population of 1,500. 

Resident Jeremiah Osuna captured drone footage of the lava burning through the trees, a scene he described as a 'curtain of fire.'

'It sounded like if you were to put a bunch of rocks into a dryer and turn it on as high as you could. You could just smell sulfur and burning trees and underbrush and stuff,' he told Honolulu television station KHON. 

Thick smoke was also seen rising from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano and experts said they could not say for certain how long the eruption will last, noting that some can last years.

County, state and federal officials had been warning residents all week that they should be prepared to evacuate, as an eruption would give little warning. 

Officials at the U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday raised the volcano's alert level to warning status, the highest possible, meaning a hazardous eruption is imminent, underway or suspected.

Nearby community centers have opened for shelter, while the American Red Cross has opened two shelters for those displaced from their homes