Lava destroys first home in Hawaii

PAHOA, Hawaii, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Lava claimed its first home on Hawaii's Big Island Monday when a breakout from the main June 27th flow overtook a property on Cemetery Road around noon.

Hawaii County Civil Defense said the home is owned by Big Island Morgan Ranch. The home's tenants left in August, and a family member was traveling to the area to witness the destruction, said Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira.

Officials have made arrangements to allow residents watch their homes burn for closure and to document the destruction for insurance purposes, he said.

The home was set on wooden posts about two feet off the ground, and lava flowed underneath it, setting it on fire.

Civil Defense said the flow had burned a garden shed on the property and was half a mile from another home Monday morning, while another outbreak was within 22 miles of the Pahoa refuse transfer station.

Oliveira said firefighters let structures burn, but work to prevent the spread of fire to other structures or the surrounding area.

The front of the flow remains stalled about 480 feet from Pahoa Village Road, which runs through the main part of the town of less than a thousand people. An evacuation advisory remains for those in the path of the flow.

"There's no activity on the flow front to the cemetery," Oliveira said. "It's very quiet down there. No breakouts. It's very quiet as we can see."

Pahoa Village Road is closed between Apaa Street and Post Office Road, with access limited to residents only. The flow is just a half mile from Highway 130, which remains open. Work on reopening Chain of Craters Road, which will allow access to Lower Puna if the flow crosses Highway 130, is expected to be completed in early December.