Unstoppable Lava Flow in Hawaii Town - Photos and Video

Updates October 29, 2014: Unstoppable lava flow in Pahoa, Hawaii - Photo and Video. Lava continues to flow and threatens Hawaii town. Residents were now evacuated as lava still moving closer to the town.

A river of molten lava has oozed into a small Hawaiian town, covering the yard of two houses closest to the volcano, Hawaii County officials reported today.

The lava flow has been edging its way towards Pahoa on Hawaii's Big Island for weeks with authorities and residents powerless to halt or divert it.

"You can only imagine the frustration as well as... despair they're going through," Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said of residents fleeing their homes.

The final number of Kilauea residents affected has not been released, but it is expected to be dozens. Officials said this afternoon that there are 40 to 50 houses in the path of the lava.

The lava is advancing at about 10 to 15 yards per hour, making it far slower than one might expect from a Hollywood version of the nightmare scenario, but it is moving at a steady pace. The Associated Press reports that the lava advanced about 275 yards from Sunday morning to Monday morning.

At other times, the lava slowed to about two yards per hour or sped up to about 20 yards per hour, depending on topography, said Janet Babb, a spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. - abcnews.go.com

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