Hawaiʻi volcano eruption closes national park, highway

WASHINGTON, 11th March, 2026 (WAM) — The latest lava fountaining episode of an erupting Hawaiʻi volcano reached 300 metres on Tuesday, prompting temporary closures at a national park and part of an important highway because of falling glassy volcanic fragments, including ash.

The molten rock was confined within Kilauea’s summit crater inside Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and has not threatened homes or buildings.

However, volcanic fragments and ash, known as tephra, fell on nearby communities and along a highway, prompting temporary closures around the park’s summit and a partial closure of Highway 11, an important route around the island, on either side of the park.