A look into Hawaii residents' fight against fury of Kilauea volcano

Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Some residents in Hawaii are standing their ground against the fury of the Kilauea volcano as they try to protect their properties and their lives.
VOLCANO, Hawaii (KABC) -- Some residents in Hawaii's Big Island are standing their ground against the fury of the Kilauea volcano as they try to protect their properties and their lives.

It's hell on earth in a place that's heaven to so many. In just a matter of hours, a virtually dormant fissure suddenly woke up and spewed fountains of lava down a molten stream and destroyed everything in its way.
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Bruce Tickell owns two properties on the piece of paradise. He may soon have just one.

Arresting footage shows extent of Kilauea's devastating lava flow
Aerial footage shows extent of sprawling Kilauea lava flow's damage in Hawaii


"We're ready to pretty much leave there in 10 minutes if we have to, and it's say goodbye to everything," he said.

Dona Mueller's home is just a few hundred yards from a molten sparkler that pops, groans and sometimes violently explodes.



At first, the constant earthquakes made it impossible to sleep, but when the nearby fissure opened up, it was impossible to even stay.

As the lava flow quickly approaches, her family has come to salvage her valuables and go. She's not taking much with her.
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"There's not much. I can walk away. It's stuff," she said.

Just down the hill, Darryl Clinton is risking life and limb to protect two homes that belong to friends.

The yard is littered with fresh volcanic rock. Giant lava bombs have broken windows, dented the water catchment pool and taken out the septic tank. Just getting from one home to the other is a life-and-death game of frogger.

Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.none
Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.none
Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.none
Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.none
Lava flows and hazardous volcanic particles continue to be emitted by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on Saturday, June 9.none
Kilauea's lower East Rift Zone, showing continued fountaining of a fissure and the lava flow channel fed by it near the town of Kapoho on the island of Hawaii.none
The remains of the Kapoho Beach Lots subdivision and a fissure flow front at the town of Kapoho on the island of Hawaii.none
This satellite image provided by Digital Globe captured June 5, 2018, shows lava flows on most of Kapoho Bay in Hawaii.none
A fissure continues to blast lava several hundred feet in the air and flow towards Kapoho as the Kilauea Volcano lower east rift zone eruption continues on June 6, 2018, in Pahoa.none
Lava from a fissure flowing into the ocean at Kapoho Bay at Kapoho on the island of Hawaii.none
An aerial view of fissure 22 looking toward the south, as Kilauea Volcano continues its eruption cycle near Pahoa on the island of Kilauea, Hawaii.none
Lava sends up clouds of steam and toxic gases as it enters the Pacific Ocean as Kilauea Volcano continues its eruption cycle near Pahoa on the island of Kilauea, Hawaii.none
Lava erupts from a fissure in the Leilani Estates neighborhood near Pahoa on the island of Hawaii.none
Heath Dalton, right, and Jim Carpenter take pictures as fissures spew lava in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii, Tuesday, May 22, 2018.none
A photographer records lava erupting from a fissure in Kapoho, Hawaii Monday, May 21, 2018.none
Steam plumes rise as lava enters the Pacific Ocean, after flowing to the water from a Kilauea volcano fissure, on Hawaii's Big Island on May 21, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.none
This Saturday, May 19, 2018, at 8:18 AM HST, aerial photo released by the U.S. Geological Survey, lava flows emerging from the elongated fissure.none
Lava explodes above a tree on Kilauea volcano, Sunday, May 20, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.none
Lava from Kilauea volcano lights up the evening sky near Pahoa, Hawaii, Saturday, May 19, 2018none
Members of the media record a wall of lava entering the ocean near Pahoa, Hawaii, Sunday, May 20, 2018.none
Lava enters the ocean off Highway 137 near Pahoa, Hawaii, Sunday, May 20, 2018.none
This Thursday, May 17, 2018 image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows a view of the ash plume resulting from an early morning explosion at Kilauea Volcano, in Hawaii.AP
Lava shoots into the night sky from active fissures on the lower east rift of Kilauea volcano, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Volcanic gases and ash rise from recent lava fissures near Pahoa, Hawaii on Monday, May 14, 2018.AP
Lava shoots into the night sky from active fissures on the lower east rift of Kilauea volcano, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Gases rise from lava fissure 18 after it erupted early Sunday, May 13, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Lava shoots into the night sky from active fissures on the lower east rift of Kilauea volcano, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Officials on the Big Island of Hawaii say some vents formed by Kilauea are releasing such high levels of sulfur dioxide that the gas poses an immediate danger to anyone nearby.AP
Gases rise from lava fissure 18 after it erupted early Sunday, May 13, 2018, near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Lava shoots into the night sky from active fissures on the lower east rift of Kilauea volcano, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Lava shoots into the night sky from active fissures on the lower east rift of Kilauea volcano, Tuesday, May 15, 2018 near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
In this May 13, 2018 frame from video released by the U.S. Geological Survey, gases rise from a fissure near Pahoa, Hawaii.AP
Volcanic gases and ash rise from recent lava fissures near Pahoa, Hawaii on Monday, May 14, 2018. The field of hardened lava rocks in the foreground is from previous eruptions.AP
This May 16, 2018, image provided by the U.S. Geological Survey shows lava spattering from an area between active Fissures 16 and 20.AP
Kilauea's summit crater glows red in Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii. Wednesday, May 9, 2018.AP
A plume of ash rises from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii’s Kilauea Volcano after a magnitude 5.0 earthquake, Thursday, May 3, 2018.AP
In this April 22, 2018, photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, lava spatters at the edge of Kilauea's Halemaumau Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.AP
Lava is shown burning in Leilani Estates subdivision near the town of Pahoa on Hawaii'€™s Big Island.AP
This Saturday, May 5, 2018, photo shows lava from fissure 7 slowly advancing to the northeast on Hookapu Street in Leilani Estates.AP
In this photo released by U.S. Geological Survey, ash plume rises above the Puu Oo vent, on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Thursday, May 3, 2018, in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.AP
In this Wednesday, May 9, 2018, photo, an ash column rises from the crater at the summit of Kilauea volcano at Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii.AP
This Monday, May 7, 2018, photo from the U.S. Geological Survey shows cracks in Highway 130, outlined on orange paint, in the Leilani Estates subdivision.AP


"Look up and watch them. Keep your eye on them. It's almost like catching a football, but you don't want to catch this football," Clinton said.



Clinton has been a quick study on the different sounds of the fissure -- the sounds he knows to ignore and the ones that scream.
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Equipped with just a fire extinguisher and a garden hose, he's been spraying down the molten rocks that hit the house.

"The inside ones are the ones we're concerned about. These ones are the ones that catch the ceiling on fire," Clinton said.

It's man versus mother nature in a match Clinton intends to win.

At last check, Clinton was injured in his fight against the lava. Splatter from a fountain shattered the 57-year-old's shin. He was rushed by ambulance to Hilo Medical Center and is in stable condition. Hospital staff said they expect him to make a full recovery.



As of Tuesday, the volcano eruption has destroyed close to 50 structures and forced more than 2,000 people to evacuate.
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