(CNN) After an eruption from the Kilauea volcano's summit shot ash and smoke 30,000 feet into the air on Thursday, officials handed out almost 18,000 masks to help residents deal with the fallout.

Rain kept the ash from going very far, and the ashfall was light, but officials still warned people in the area on Hawaii's Big Island to stay indoors and to use the masks.

US Geological Survey geologist Michelle Coombs described the event as "energetic, but short-lived" and said most of the debris ejected from the crater likely fell near the explosion site.

A webcam from a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory tower captures the plume rising into the sky.

Officials expect volcanic activity to continue, citing a similar series of events in 1924 that lasted 2½ weeks.

"This event is far from over," said Talmadge Magno, civil defense administrator for Hawaii County.

Read More</s>Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hawaii volcano sends 30,000ft plume into the air

An explosive eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has sent ash 30,000ft (9,100m) into the sky.

The eruption took place at 04:15 local time (14:15 GMT) on Thursday, and scientists say further activity is likely in the near future.

Staff at the volcano observatory and the national park had been evacuated.

Since a new zone of Kilauea began erupting almost two weeks ago, lava has wrecked dozens of homes and forced hundreds of people to be evacuated.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption National Guard soldiers in Hawaii sought protection from ash and volcanic gases

A red aviation code had already been issued, warning pilots to avoid the potentially damaging ash cloud.

The US Geological Survey had warned that an explosive eruption at Kilauea was becoming more likely as the volcano's lava lake was lowering.

This increases the risk of steam-powered explosions as the magma meets underground water.

"We may have additional larger, powerful events," USGS geologist Michelle Coombs told reporters after Thursday's eruption.

Hawaii's emergency management agency advised people in the area affected by ash to stay in their homes if possible.

Kilauea is one of five volcanoes on the island of Hawaii - three of them active.

It is one of the most active in the world and has been erupting continuously, though not explosively, for more than 30 years.

Its last explosive eruption took place in 1924.

Even before Thursday morning's explosive eruption, the ash plume from the volcano could be seen from the International Space Station.</s>The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reports that an Explosive Eruption at Kīlauea’s Summit has occurred this morning (Thursday, May 17, 2018) at around 4 a.m. The resulting ash plume was estimated to be 30,000 feet high and could drop a quarter inch of ash in affected areas.

The wind will carry the plume toward the southeast. The Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense Agency is advising those in the area to shelter in place if they are in the path of the ash plume. Driving conditions may also be dangerous and motorists driving in the area were being advised to pull off the road and wait until visibility improves.

The National Weather Service has issued an Ashfall Advisory, which is in effect until 8 a.m. HST Friday, May 18, 2018.

The NWS says volcanic ash is expected to reach immediate vicinity of the Kīlauea Volcano Summit (Halemaʻumaʻu Crater), including Volcano and Glenwood. The Civil Defense agency says the resulting ash plume may affect the surrounding areas with wind carrying the ash plume north toward Kaʻū, Volcano, Mt. View, Keaʻau and as far as Hilo.

The advisory may need to be extended if volcanic ashfall emissions persist.</s>An eruption from the Kilauea volcano’s summit shot ash and smoke into the air early Thursday on Hawaii’s Big Island, and the resulting plume is expected to cover the surrounding area, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

The volcanic cloud reached 30,000 feet, the US Geological Survey said. That’s a little below the cruising altitude of a jetliner.

“At any time, activity may again become more explosive, increasing the intensity of ash production and producing ballistic projectiles near the vent,” the USGS said. “Ballistic projectiles may be produced should steam-driven explosions occur. Impacts will be limited to an area around Halemaumau.”

Halemaumau is the crater within Kilauea’s summit caldera.

Nearby residents are being asked to shelter in place if they are in the path of the ash plume, which the wind is carrying to the northeast of the volcano, the USGS said.

“Driving conditions may be dangerous so if you are driving pull off the road and wait until visibility improves,” an alert from the observatory warned.

Thursday’s eruption is just the latest volcanic activity contributing to the nightmare on the Big Island since the volcano first went off May 3.

An ash plume Wednesday rose roughly 12,000 feet into the air, and on Tuesday, the USGS issued a red alert, which means a major eruption is imminent or underway and ash could affect air traffic.

It is not clear if Thursday’s was a phreatic eruption, which USGS officials have been saying is capable of sending ash plumes as far as 12 miles away from the summit.

The lava lake in the crater has been dropping since May 2, which increases the chances for a phreatic explosion, but it will be difficult to warn residents.

Phreatic eruptions are “notoriously hard to forecast, and can occur with little or no warning,” Hawaiian Volcano Observatory geologist Janet Babb said.

Recent explosions have been steam-driven, occurring when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by magma, lava, hot rocks or new volcanic deposits, the USGS says.

While the ash being launched into the sky is not poisonous, Hawaii County officials have warned residents about toxic sulfur dioxide seeping out of 21 fissures caused by the volcano.

“Severe conditions may exist such as choking and inability to breathe,” the county’s Civil Defense Agency said Wednesday. “This is a serious situation that affects the entire exposed population.”</s>An eruption from the Kilauea volcano’s summit shot ash and smoke into the air early Thursday on Hawaii’s Big Island, and the resulting plume is expected to cover the surrounding area, according to the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Nearby residents are being asked to shelter in place if they are in the path of the ash plume, which the wind is carrying to the southeast of the volcano.

“Driving conditions may be dangerous so if you are driving pull off the road and wait until visibility improves,” an alert from the observatory warned.

Thursday’s eruption is just the latest volcanic activity contributing to the nightmare on the Big Island.

An ash plume Wednesday rose roughly 12,000 feet into the air, and on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey issued a red alert, which means a major eruption is imminent or underway and ash could affect air traffic

Developing story — more to come.</s><HONOLULU (CBS News) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet into the sky.

The explosion came after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods, said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

The lava has destroyed at least 26 homes and 10 other structures.

The crater sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11 in preparation for an eruption.

Officials have said they didn’t expect the explosion to be deadly as long as people remained out of the closed national park.Kilauea is one of the world’s most active volcanoes. An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.

Scientists warned on May 9 that a drop in the lava lake at the summit might create conditions for an explosion that could fling ash and boulders the size of refrigerators into the air.

Scientists predicted it would mostly release trapped steam from flash-heated groundwater released as though it was a kitchen pressure cooker.

Communities a mile or two away may be showered by pea-size fragments or dusted with nontoxic ash, they said.

Kilauea volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983.

It’s one of five volcanoes that comprise the Big Island of Hawaii, and the only one currently erupting.

This is a developing story and will be updated.</s>HONOLULU — Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted anew before dawn Thursday, shooting a steely gray plume of ash about 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) into the sky that began raining down on a nearby town.

The explosion at the mountain summit came shortly after 4 a.m. following two weeks of volcanic activity that sent lava flows into neighborhoods and destroyed at least 26 homes.

The eruption probably lasted only a few minutes, and the ash accumulations were minimal, with only trace amounts expected near the volcano, said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Some people in the community closest to the volcano slept through the blast, said Kanani Aton, a spokeswoman for Hawaii County Civil Defense, who spoke to relatives and friends in the town called Volcano.

At least one person who was wake heard nothing. Epic Lava tour operator John Tarson is an early-riser and said he only learned about the eruption because he received an alert on his phone.

Tarson said the ash plume looked different than others he's witnessed because of its sheer height. A video he shared on Facebook showed a towering column of ash reaching into a hazy sky.

"What I noticed is the plume was just rising straight into the air, and it was not tipping in any direction," he said.

"We've been expecting this, and a lot of people are going to see it and get excited and scared," he added.

Authorities cautioned that wind could carry the ash as far as Hilo. The National Weather Service issued an ash advisory until noon. Several schools closed because of the risk of elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, a volcanic gas.

Robert Hughes owns the Aloha Junction Bed and Breakfast, about a mile and a half from the crater. He said he did not hear anything either and is in an area that did not get any ash.

So far, he said, Thursday has been a "nice rainy day."

His business has been hit hard by fears of the volcano, once an attraction for visitors. He said he's lost hundreds of reservations and had just three guests Thursday instead of the 12 to 14 he has typically served.

One of the guests was a news reporter. The other two were from Italy.

"In the old days, people used to love to come see the volcano. They'd even take their little postcards, burn one corner in the lava flow, mail then off, stuff like that," he said. "Now they're acting like it's all super-dangerous and everything, but it just kind oozes out."

The crater sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11 because of the risk of a more violent eruption.

Officials have said the eruption isn't likely to be dangerous as long as people stay out of the closed park.

Kilauea is one of the world's most active volcanoes. An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.

Scientists warned on May 9 that a drop in the lava lake at the summit might create conditions for an explosion that could fling ash and refrigerator-sized boulders into the air.

Geologists predicted such a blast would mostly release trapped steam from flash-heated groundwater. Communities a mile or two away could be showered by pea-size fragments or dusted with nontoxic ash, they said.</s>Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted from its summit before dawn Thursday, shooting a dusty plume of ash about 30,000 feet into the sky.

The explosion came at about 6 a.m. after two weeks of volcanic activity and the opening of more than a dozen fissures east of the crater that spewed lava into neighborhoods, said Mike Poland, a geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey.

Residents who live in a nearby town reported light amounts of ash falling following the eruption.

Poland said the explosion likely only lasted a few minutes and that ash accumulations were minimal, with likely trace amounts near the volcano and at the town, named Volcano.</s>HONOLULU (AP) — Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano erupted anew before dawn Thursday, spewing a steely gray plume of ash about 30,000 feet (9,100 meters) into the sky that began raining down on a nearby town.

The explosion at the summit came shortly after 4 a.m. following two weeks of volcanic activity that sent lava flows into neighborhoods and destroyed at least 26 homes. Scientists said the eruption was the most powerful in recent days, though it probably lasted only a few minutes.

Geologists have warned that the volcano could become even more violent, with increasing ash production and the potential that future blasts could hurl boulders from the summit.

Toby Hazel, who lives in Pahoa, near the mountain, said she heard “a lot of booming sounds” Thursday. Those came after days of earthquakes.

“It’s just time to go — it really, really is,” she said, preparing to leave town. “I feel so sorry for the people who don’t go, because they don’t have the money, or don’t want to go to a shelter and leave their houses.”

Some people in the community closest to the volcano slept through the blast, said Kanani Aton, a spokeswoman for Hawaii County Civil Defense, who spoke to relatives and friends in the town called Volcano.

At least one person who was awake heard nothing. Epic Lava tour operator John Tarson is an early riser and said he only learned about the eruption because he received an alert on his phone.

Tarson said the ash plume looked different than others he’s witnessed because of its sheer height. A video he shared on Facebook showed a towering column of ash reaching into a hazy sky.

“What I noticed is the plume was just rising straight into the air, and it was not tipping in any direction,” he said. “We’ve been expecting this, and a lot of people are going to see it and get excited and scared.”

Residents as far away as Hilo, about 30 miles from Kilauea, were noticing the volcano’s effects. Pua’ena Ahn, who lives in Hilo, complained about having labored breathing, itchy, watery eyes and some skin irritation from airborne ash.

A National Weather Service ash advisory was in effect until noon. Several schools closed because of the risk of elevated levels of sulfur dioxide, a volcanic gas.

The crater sits within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, which has been closed since May 11 as a safety precaution over risks of a violent eruption.

Scientists warned May 9 that a drop in the lava lake at the summit might create conditions for an explosion that could fling ash and refrigerator-sized boulders into the air. Geologists predicted such a blast would mostly release trapped steam from flash-heated groundwater. If it happens, communities a mile or two away could be showered by pea-size fragments or dusted with ash.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, has been erupting continuously since 1983. It’s among the five volcanoes that form Hawaii’s Big Island, and the only one that’s actively erupting. An eruption in 1924 killed one person and sent rocks, ash and dust into the air for 17 days.

Robert Hughes owns the Aloha Junction Bed and Breakfast, about a mile and a half from the crater. He said he didn’t hear anything and has yet to spot ash. So far, he said, Thursday has been a “nice rainy day.”

His business has been hit hard by fears of the volcano, a major attraction for visitors. He’s lost hundreds of reservations and had just three guests Thursday instead of the 12 to 14 he has typically served. One was a news reporter, and the other two were visiting from Italy.

“In the old days, people used to love to come see the volcano. They’d even take their little postcards, burn one corner in the lava flow, mail them off, stuff like that,” he said. “Now they’re acting like it’s all super-dangerous and everything, but it just kind of oozes out.”</s>PAHO, Hawaii — A geophysicist says a plume that’s rising from the Kilauea volcano summit on Hawaii’s Big Island does not contain as much ash as it did on Tuesday.

Mike Poland with the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday the plume seems to be made largely of rock dust.

Because there’s little wind, the plume for the most part is rising vertically over the summit.

USGS scientists will not monitor the plume from a summit observatory because of fears of falling ash.

Instead, they will operate from a backup command centre at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.

Warnings to pilots are still in place because of the plume that reached 12,000 feet (3,658 metres) Tuesday.

The volcano has been spewing lava from fissures that opened up on its flanks for two weeks.
The summit at Kīlauea erupts and sends a plume of ash and smoke 30,000 feet (9.1 km) into the air.