Hawaii Volcano Erupts In 'Curtain Of Fire'; Residents Evacuated

HONOLULU (CBS) -- Nearly 1,500 residents were ordered to evacuate after Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano erupted, sending molten lava to chew its way through forest land and bubble up on paved streets.

Volcano officials said they couldn't predict how long the eruption might last.

That prompted Gov. David Ige to declare a state of emergency in affected areas, activate the National Guard to help with evacuations and provide security to about 770 structures left empty when residents sought shelter.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Hawaii County officials said steam and lava poured out of a crack in Leilani Estates, which is near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island.

Footage shown on local television showed lava spurting into the sky from a crack in a road. Aerial drone footage showed a line of lava snaking through a forest.

CBS Honolulu affiliate KGMB-TV reported lava was shooting some 100 feet in the air and nearing several homes.

Fire officials detected extremely high levels of dangerous sulfur dioxide in the air, the stations said.

Resident Jeremiah Osuna captured drone footage of the lava burning through the trees, a scene he described as a "curtain of fire."

"It sounded like if you were to put a bunch of rocks into a dryer and turn it on as high as you could. You could just smell sulfur and burning trees and underbrush and stuff," he told Honolulu television station KHON.