Lava gets closer to homes in Hawaii

Smoldering lava from the Kilauea Volcano continued Wednesday on its slow slog toward a small town on Hawaii's Big Island.

Lava was about 260 yards from a main thoroughfare near the small town of Pahoa in the southeastern corner of the island, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

The leading edge of the most rapidly advancing part of the lava flow is moving about 11 yards per hour, the U.S. Geological Survey said Wednesday afternoon. The lava destroyed a shed on Tuesday.

Pahoa residents have had months to prepare for what's been described as a slow-motion disaster. Most have either already left or are preparing to go.

Some families in the lava's path were still packing their belongings Wednesday as the lava neared their home.

"I don't want to stick around and just wait for it to come and take it," Denise Lagrimas said while taking a break from loading kitchen cups and bowls in cardboard boxes. "You just never know."

Other families, including Chuck and Marla Burgess, while not directly affected, could find themselves cut off from town if the lava covers the road.

"Once the lava crosses that road, we won't be able to get to town," said Chuck Burgess in a phone interview.

He said engineers were working on digging a temporary alternate road so people wouldn't be trapped.

Meanwhile, visitors from around the world are flocking to Pahoa to get a glimpse of the lava, KHON-TV reported. That is actually helping restaurants and bars attract more business.

Leslie Lai, owner of of Kaleo's Bar and Grill, told the TV station she's seen a 20% increase in business since the lava made headlines.

Lava from Kilauea began to flow June 27 after several new fissures opened on the northeast flank of a crater on the volcano. Instead of flowing south in its usual path toward the ocean —- a direction where no one now lives — the fissures forced the lava to flow in a northeasterly direction, instead, toward the small town.

Kilalua is one of the world's most active volcanoes and has been erupting continuously since 1983.

Contributing: The Associated Press