Hawaii volcano emitting dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide, residents complain of ashfall

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New fissure causes more damage, evacuations in Hawaii

Lava, toxic gas and threats of the Kilauea volcano blowing its top are becoming permanent worries of some residents on Hawaii’s big island; Jeff Paul reports.

The vents that have formed on Hawaii’s Big Island from one of the world’s most active volcanoes are releasing dangerous levels of gases that pose a danger to anyone nearby, officials warned Monday.

The Hawaii County Civil Defense said the volcanic fissures in the southeast area of Lanipuna Gardens neighborhood are issuing high levels of sulfur dioxide gas, which are causing the air quality to be to be placed under “red” conditions.

“Condition RED means immediate danger to health so take action to limit further exposure. Severe conditions may exist such as choking and inability to breathe,” the agency said. “This is a serious situation that affects the entire exposed population.”

Volcanic gases rise from a fissure in the Leilani Estates subdivision during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 14, 2018.

 (REUTERS/Terray Sylvester)

High levels of sulfur dioxide gas are “especially dangerous” for the elderly, children and people with respiratory problems, according to the Hawaii Department of Health.

Sulfur dioxide can be carried with wind, or cover an area with no wind, according to the agency. The county said the warnings over the gas also apply to the surrounding farm areas, and those in the area should leave in addition to seeking medical attention if severely affected.

A driver steers through volcanic gasses in the Leilani Estates subdivision during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 13, 2018.

 (REUTERS/Terray Sylvester)

“Condition RED means immediate danger to health, so take action to limit further exposure,” Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim said on Twitter.

Besides the gas emissions coming from volcanic vents in the area, residents on the Big Island are also experiencing allergy-like symptoms from ashfall generated by Kilauea, which began erupting on May 3.

LAVA FROM HAWAII VOLCANO NEARS AN EVACUATION ROUTE

The National Weather Service’s Honolulu Office warned residents on Monday that a rockslide at Kilauea’s summit crater created a plume of smoke and ash, which affected the Kau neighborhood.

Several residents in the area told Hawaii News Now they were suffering from headaches, sore threats, and watery eyes due to the ash.

“I do have neighbors and friends and family and it has created more problems for them,” Pahala resident Jessie Marques told Hawaii News Now. “Now they tend to stay indoors, it has created a breathing problem for them.”

Smoke and lava erupt from a fissure near a home on the outskirts of Pahoa during ongoing eruptions of the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii, U.S., May 14, 2018.

 (REUTERS/Terray Sylvester)

Marques, who has asthma, told the news outlet the particles in the air has made it harder for her to breathe.

“There was a really thick layer of dust on our cars, and on our decks, and such so you can see and feel it,” she said. “It’s like a black, grimy soot.”

NEW VOLCANIC FISSURE REPORTED IN HAWAII

Officials have ordered evacuations for about 2,000 people since Kilauea volcano began shooting lava into a residential neighborhood. The eruptions have opened nearly 20 vents in the ground, while lava has destroyed more than 40 structures, including two dozen homes.

Geologists warn that Kilauea’s summit could have an explosive steam eruption that would hurl huge rocks and ash miles into the sky.

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Emergency officials are continuing to advise people in the affected area to leave, and remain concerned about those who continue to stay behind.

Travis Fedschun is a reporter for FoxNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @travfed

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Parents Charged After Missing Child Leads Police to 10 Kids ‘Living in Squalor’ as Mom Denies Abuse

Ten children were removed from a home in Fairfield, California, after police discovered they were “living in squalor and unsafe conditions.”

Fairfield Police Department announced, Monday, that the discovery was sparked after a 12-year-old child was reported missing on March 31. When the juvenile was located and returned to the home by police, they discovered nine more children, ranging in age from 4 months old to 11 years old.

Fairfield Police Lt. Greg Hurlbut said during a press conference on Monday that feces, garbage and rotten food littered the floor of the home, according to NBC Bay Area.

All 10 children were taken into protective custody by Solano County Child Welfare Services, police said.

The children’s mother — Ina Rogers, 30 — was arrested and booked into Solano County Jail for child neglect on March 31. She was released after posting $10,000 bail on April 9, Fox News reported.

A joint investigation by the Fairfield Police Department’s Family Violence Unit with Child Welfare Services and the Solano County District Attorney’s Office uncovered “a long and continuous history of severe physical and emotional abuse of the children,” police said.

Sharon Henry, chief deputy district attorney for Solano County, said at a news conference that the alleged abuse was done with “sadistic purpose,” according to the Washington Post.

“Based upon what the children stated in their interviews, we believe torture occurred in this house,” she said.

The Solano County District Attorney’s Office directed PEOPLE to the press conference when asked for further comment.

The children’s father — Jonathan Allen, 29 — was booked into the Solano County Jail for seven counts of felony torture and nine counts of felony child abuse on May 11, according to online records. The Washington Post reported that Allen pleaded not guilty in court on Monday. He is being held for over $5 million bail.

The Solano County Public Defender’s office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for information on Rogers’ or Allen’s representation.

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Rogers called the charges “ludicrous” when speaking to reporters in front of her house on Monday, according to NBC Bay Area.

“There’s no broken bones, there is no major scars, nothing,” the mother said. “My kids get bumped and bruised and scratched because they’re kids but that’s it.”

All the kids slept on cots in one bedroom, but Rogers said that was by their own choice, NBC reported. She added that her oldest child ran away after she took away his tablet as a punishment, and their home was messy due to their frantic search for him.

Rogers added that she and her husband are great parents.

“My husband has a lot of tattoos. He looks like a scary individual, and that’s why people are so quick to judge him,” she said, according to the Washington Post. “But my husband is an amazing person. I am an amazing mother.”

RELATED VIDEO: “House of Horrors” Mom Believes She Did “Nothing Wrong”

The situation bears similarities to a mid-January discovery in Perris, California, when police uncovered the 13 children of David and Louise Turpin had apparently been living in a house of horrors. Allegedly kept malnourished from lack of food and regularly abused, nearly all of the kids had also been imprisoned and tortured in the home, authorities believe.

The Turpin parents were soon arrested and remain in custody, having pleaded not guilty to the dozens of charges against each of them. Their attorneys have noted they are presumed innocent.

The children, ages 2 to 29 at the time they were rescued, were hospitalized for months where they reportedly provided information to investigators and adjusted to new lives.

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