By — Jennifer Kelleher, Associated Press Jennifer Kelleher, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/twin-lava-fountains-from-kilauea-volcano-trigger-park-and-highway-closures Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Twin lava fountains from Kilauea volcano trigger park and highway closures Nation Mar 11, 2026 1:58 PM EDT HONOLULU (AP) — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet (300 meters) high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash. Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky. READ MORE: Kilauea displays lava fountains for the 37th time since its eruption began last year The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked the eruption's 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours. Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea's summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn't threatened homes or buildings. But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park. Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson. READ MORE: Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia's Far East erupts for first time in centuries The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning. Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county officials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said. Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now By — Jennifer Kelleher, Associated Press Jennifer Kelleher, Associated Press
HONOLULU (AP) — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaii volcano reached 1,000 feet (300 meters) high Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash. Kilauea, on Hawaii's Big Island, has been dazzling residents and visitors for more than year with an on-and-off eruption that periodically sends fountains of lava soaring into the sky. READ MORE: Kilauea displays lava fountains for the 37th time since its eruption began last year The fountaining that began Tuesday morning marked the eruption's 43rd episode since it began in December 2024. A livestream showed two fountains of bright-red lava and smoke. Some episodes have lasted a few days and others a few hours. Grow your mind Subscribe to our Science Newsletter to explore the wide worlds of science, health and technology. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. Like other times, the molten rock was confined within Kilauea's summit crater inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and hasn't threatened homes or buildings. But the lava fountains were creating trouble for neighboring communities and a highway where the volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, was falling. The tephra prompted temporary closures at the national park around the summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park. Hawaii County officials also opened a shelter at a district gymnasium for residents and tourists impacted by the road closure or falling tephra. There were no people using the shelter soon after it opened, said Tom Callis, a county spokesperson. READ MORE: Krasheninnikov volcano in Russia's Far East erupts for first time in centuries The National Weather Service issued an ashfall warning. Volcanic tephra can irritate eyes, skin and the respiratory system, according to county officials. Tephra also can clog and cause other problems with water catchment collection systems, which are common in some parts of the Big Island, officials said. Ash fell so heavily during a previous fountaining episode that some communities needed help from county civil defense workers to clean up ash that coated their homes, Callis said. Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. A free press is a cornerstone of a healthy democracy. Support trusted journalism and civil dialogue. Donate now