Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano blasted twin fountains of bright-red lava roughly 1,000 feet into the sky on March 10, forcing emergency closures at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and shutting down stretches of a major highway.

The eruption marked the 43rd fountaining episode since Kilauea’s on-and-off activity began in December 2024. Falling tephra, sharp, glassy volcanic fragments, and ash rained down on the area, prompting officials to close roads and restrict access around the summit. Fox News Digital reported that the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory first detected the eruption through webcam images showing lava glowing inside the Halemaumau crater at the volcano’s summit caldera.

The good news: the molten rock stayed inside the summit crater and did not threaten homes or buildings.

Closures and public safety

Tephra and ash prompted a partial closure of Highway 11 on either side of the park, cutting off a key route on Hawaii’s Big Island. Temporary closures also went into effect around the national park summit. The Washington Times reported that ashfall created health concerns and led officials to open a temporary shelter for affected residents.

The volcano’s summit sits away from residential communities, but the ash cloud still posed risks:

• Glassy volcanic fragments fell across the park and nearby roads.
• An ashfall warning was issued for the surrounding area.
• Visitors and residents were urged to stay clear of the summit zone.

How long the March 10 fountaining lasted remains unclear.

A volcano that demands respect

Kilauea is no stranger to destruction. Its 2018 eruption destroyed over 700 residences and hurled plumes of ash thousands of meters into the sky, as Science magazine reported at the time. That eruption included rare explosive bursts that rattled the Big Island for weeks.

The current cycle is far less destructive, but relentless. Since December 2024, Kilauea has erupted in dozens of episodes. The U.S. Geological Survey said the volcano also erupted in January, with photos showing lava piling up inside its summit crater. The previous eruption ended less than a month before the current one began.

The Associated Press noted that while the eruption is spectacular and disruptive, the lava remains confined to the summit crater and is not currently threatening homes or buildings.

What’s still unknown

Several questions remain unanswered. Officials have not detailed which specific communities were affected by ashfall or which sections of Highway 11 were shut down. No injuries or property damage from the March 10 event have been reported so far.

Nature doesn’t negotiate. When a volcano speaks, the only sensible response is to listen, and get out of the way.