Lava flow front advances another 300 yards toward Pahoa

The June 27 lava flow had advanced another 300 yards by Friday morning, bringing it to within 250 yards of the Apa‘a Street area near the Pahoa Transfer Station.

Friday morning’s Civil Defense overflight revealed that the flow has continued to advance at a greatly increased rate since a narrow finger that had been advancing about 90 yards a day overtook the former leading edge of the flow, which had been stalled at about 1.3 miles from Apa’a Road. On Thursday, overflights revealed an advance of 425 yards since Wednesday.

“This flow front is active and moving in a northeast direction,” reads an update on the Hawaii County Civil Defense website. “Currently the leading edge of the advancing flow is approximately 250 yards from the Apa’a Street area near the Pahoa Transfer Station. There was very little burning activity and smoke conditions were moderate. There is no brush fire threat at this time.”

Civil Defense and public safety personnel were scheduled to be conducting door-to-door notifications for residents in the downslope areas of Pahoa Village to insure residents are aware of current activities. Door-to-door notifications will be taking place on Saturday.

However, the Civil Defense message made clear that the notifications were not an evacuation notice.

“Current flow activity does not pose an immediate threat to area communities and no evacuation is needed at this time,” the web update reads. “Area residents will be given adequate notice to safely evacuate should that be necessary.”

With the change in flow activity and advancement, Apa’a Street and Cemetery Road will remained closed between the Pahoa Transfer Station and the Kaohe Homesteads Road. In addition, Civil Defense and public safety personnel will be operating in the area round the clock to maintain close observations of flow activity.

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