Hawaii lava flow sparks tire fire as it moves closer to homes in Pahoa

The lava flow on Hawaii's Big Island moved onto private property in a rural area of Pahoa, setting fire to a garden shed and sparking a tire fire that sent thick, black smoke into the air and prompted more residents to leave their homes.

KITV reports that while there have been no mandatory evacuations, county officials have been telling residents to leave, and a steady stream of vehicles was seen along a small road on Tuesday as people left to stay with friends and family elsewhere on the island. KITV reports Neighborhood Place of Puna is helping people who have no place to go find a new place to live.

As of Tuesday evening, the lava flow, which began June 27 and was between 55 yards wide at the leading edge and 165 yards at its widest point, was 340 yards from Pahoa Village Road, the main commercial road through the rural Puna town, and has been advancing at a rate of 10 to 15 yards per hour, officials with the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said.

The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports Hawaii Electric Light Co.'s experimental method for protecting utility poles from the lava's intense heat may not have succeeded, as experts found the first pole to be surrounded by the lava flow had sunk about 10 feet. The newspaper reports HELCO spokeswoman Rhea Lee said that while the pole was upright and the transmission line was still energized, the base of the wood pole could be burning.

The newspaper reports crews from Hawaiian Telcom, which is sharing the poles with HELCO, have been working to install more pole barriers along Pahoa Village Road where the lava is expected to cross.