HONOLULU – The Latest on Kilauea volcano's eruption in Hawaii (all times local):
1:30 p.m.
Officials on Hawaii's Big Island are letting some people back into their homes and scaling down emergency operations as lava flows into the ocean on a path that isn't threatening new areas.
County Civil Defense Agency Administrator Talmadge Magno told reporters Monday that fewer workers are needed to staff a 24-hour operations center and officials are reducing checkpoints.
Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Janet Babb says there hasn't been a lot of change in recent days as lava from an erupting volcano keeps spewing from a crack in the ground. It is flowing toward a community that got wiped out last week.
It's possible a new fissure will open or vigorous flows could emerge from vents that have been inactive. Magno says additional workers can be called in if conditions change.
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10:30 a.m.
Small explosions at the summit of an erupting Hawaii volcano could send ash into communities.
Scientists say the blasts happened Monday, including one after a magnitude-5.4 earthquake. Ash expelled from the Kilauea volcano may cause poor visibility and slippery conditions for drivers.
The Big Island volcano has been erupting for more than a month, sending lava into neighborhoods from cracks in the ground and destroying hundreds of homes.
A river of molten rock is flowing toward a community that got wiped out last week. A fissure is shooting fountains of lava into the air, which is flowing to the ocean. Gas emissions from the vent have doubled.
Scientists warn against venturing too close to lava hitting water, saying it could expose people to dangers from flying debris.
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