The Kilauea volcano in Hawaii began erupting on Wednesday, forcing the U.S. Geological Survey to raise the alert level from orange to red.
The red alert means that a major volcanic eruption is underway, which can cause hazardous activity in the air and on the ground.
The volcano began erupting at around 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday.
A from the volcano shows multiple lava flows and what appears to be ash in the air. When lava from Kilauea was measured in the past, it had a temperature reading of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is no current threat to the public. Officials say activity is centered in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater on Kilauea’s summit.
Kilauea is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the world.
It and paused on March 7.
In 2018, an eruption of Kilauea destroyed more than 700 homes. The eruption was so powerful it changed the volcano’s structure.
“Every 28 hours on average, the ground within the summit caldera of Kilauea sank,” the U.S. Geological Survey states.
More than 60,000 earthquakes were reported in the area for a four-month span in 2018 as the volcano continued erupting.
It was considered the largest eruption in centuries.
