Smoke billows as lava scorches first structure, debris

Kilauea’s June 27 lava flow claimed its first structure Tuesday morning as it continued to carve a jagged black scar through the green Pahoa landscape, set on a collision course with Pahoa Village Road.

The flow was about 400 yards upslope from the thoroughfare by 3 p.m., moving at an average of 10 yards per hour, and Hawaii County Civil Defense officials reported that on Tuesday night they would begin asking residents in between six and a dozen homes immediately downslope of the front to evacuate.

In the afternoon, the lava also set alight a pile of tires and other material in developed areas, creating a dense, black cloud of smoke.

According to Civil Defense Administrator Darryl Oliveira, the day began with the lava front moving onto a residential parcel, and shortly after 7:30 a.m. it made contact with and set fire to a small, 150-square-foot garden shed used to house potted plants by residents of a home farther downslope. The couple who lived in the home already evacuated.

“The residents there were definitely prepared for what will come,” Oliveira said.

Attempts were not made to put out the flames, as past experiences have shown that to be a fruitless effort when lava is making direct contact with a structure, he said. But firefighters were nearby, ready to put out any incidental fires that might pose a risk to surrounding buildings not touching the 2,000-degree molten rock.

The flow’s northeastward advance was inconsistent throughout the day, he said, averaging between 10 and 15 yards per hour.

Overall smoke conditions were moderate, with moderate trade winds from the northeast pushing the smoke in a south-southwest direction. Residents downwind of the smoke who might be sensitive or have respiratory problems were advised to take precautions and remain indoors.

“Additional health advisories may be issued, depending upon materials involved with any fires associated with the lava flow,” Civil Defense said in its afternoon update.

Oliveira added the National Guard was set to be mobilized in Puna today to help deliver and set up temporary structures for police, so law enforcement can establish a presence behind the lava flow once it has crossed Highway 130. The new police station is likely to be set up at the former Hawaii Geothermal Project-A site.

Meanwhile, a Hawaii Electric Light Co. spokeswoman said Tuesday afternoon an experimental method for protecting utility poles from the intense heat of the lava might not have succeeded in preventing damage to the first, and so far only, pole to be surrounded by the flow.

HELCO technical experts visited the pole Tuesday and found it had sunk about 10 feet. It remained upright, and the transmission line remained aloft and energized, said spokeswoman Rhea Lee, but it appeared that underneath the concrete and cinder barrier, the base of the wooden pole could be burning.

“We don’t know the answer, and unless we excavate the area, we’re not going to be able to determine that at this point,” she said.

HELCO workers cooled the pole down and stopped what appeared to be smoke or steam from emanating from the pile of cinder surrounding its base.

“All along, we’ve been cautiously optimistic … We wanted to be sure this design could stand the test of time. And even if it were to fail, we were able to collect valuable data to help us improve on our design in case we need to use it downstream,” Lee said.

Hawaiian Telcom work crews have been busy the past few days installing three more of the pole barriers along Pahoa Village Road in the area where the lava is expected to cross. HawaiianTel’s lines will share the poles with HELCO’s primary transmission line, which is used to carry electricity through town.

Meanwhile, secondary distribution lines that feed the power directly into residents’ individual homes will sit on unprotected poles that now have been shortened to prevent them from creating damage when and if they are downed by lava.

On Monday, some news sources, including CNN, reported looters have been breaking into evacuated homes and stealing items. But as of Tuesday afternoon, neither the Hawaii Police Department nor Hawaii County had received any such reports.

Pahoa’s Tin Shack Bakery owner Matt Purvis, who was quoted in the reports, said Tuesday that two family members’ homes both were looted after they were evacuated.

“It seems like (looters) are stepping things up a notch,” he said. “This thing that happened to one of my family members, they ripped off so much that it was clear this was a professional job.”

In both cases, he said, the homes were solar-powered and had solar equipment stolen, in addition to other items.

Attempts to contact Purvis’ affected family members to verify the details of the alleged thefts were not successful as of press time.

Email Colin M. Stewart at cstewart@hawaiitribune-herald.com.

Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.