Hawaii residents ready to flee as lava oozes toward homes

People living near an active Hawaii lava flow have been warned to prepare for a possible evacuation in the next three to five days as molten rock oozed across a country road and edged closer to homes.

The flow is currently about 48m to 70m wide and moving north east at about 9m an hour.

The lava crossed a road on the edge of Pahoa, the largest town in the mostly rural region of Puna on the Big Island of Hawaii, at 3.50am local time. It is currently about 1km from Pahoa Village Rd, the town’s main street.