Volcano erupts on Hawaii’s Big Island, produces steam cloud

HONOLULU, Hawaii (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says the Kilauea volcano on Hawaii’s Big Island has erupted and there were reports of lava fountains shooting about 165 feet into the sky. The eruption began late Sunday within the within Halema’uma’u crater. The volcano is located within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit about an hour after the volcano began erupting. The USGS says it received more than 500 reports of people who felt the earthquake but significant damage to buildings or structures is not expected. The National Weather Service said early Monday that the eruption produced a “steam cloud” that shot up to about 30,000 feet in the atmosphere.