Staggering Site And Sound Of Volcanic Bombs Exploding As Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano Hurls Molten Rock High Into The Air
CABRERA: Listen to this. A cyclist from Washington State is lucky to be alive after a rare cougar attack that left another man dead. It happened near Seattle in the Cascade Mountains, the two men were riding their bikes down a remote road when a cougar began chasing them. And then at one point the survivor said his entire head was inside the cougar's mouth. He managed to escape when the big cat left him chasing and killing his companion. The injured man rode nearly two miles before he had cell phone reception and was able to call 911. That cougar was later tracked and killed. Authorities say this is only the second time a person in Washington stayed has died from the mountain lion attack in the last 100 years.</s>CABRERA: That staggering site and sound of volcanic bombs exploding as Hawaii's Kilauea volcano hurls molten rock high into the air. And if the volatile hot lava and sulfur dioxide weren't enough, Hawaiians on the big island now face another threat. It's called lays. Laze forms lava reaches the ocean sending hydrochloric acid and glass particles in the air and can cause lung damage and skin irritation. Officials even warn people near the coast that that laze can be deadly. Two people died from exposure to it back in 2000. Our Stephanie Elam joins us now from Hawaii. And Stephanie, Hawaii we know is known for its beaches. How are they going to keep the people away from the coast with this new laze threat?</s>STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right. Well, Ana, one thing will do it is the fact that the lava has flowed over 137 which is a highway that runs along the coast in this part, the southeastern part of the island here, that's one way and then also from the water. The U.S. coast guard is keeping a perimeter there to keep people away from getting close that lava flow into the ocean of about 1,000 feet they want people to stay away from it. So that's a concern. And then here on land, let me step out so can you see what this looks like here. It's still bubbling here and throwing lava up into the sky. Since we have been out here today we have watched as the volcanic gases have increased behind that fountain that you see there. And then also to the side there's another bit of gas being emitted from there. This is new developments as this eruption continues to move. It seems so malleable. Some of the fissures that used to be sort of dormant coming back to life, the lava still splattering. And then you see that sea of black lava cascading down the hill going towards the ocean here. And what you understand is there's at least two structures in this area here that were taken out by the lava. And then in the distance there's another fissure that is still very active and it's mainly active with volcanic gases. During the day you don't see as much red and at night. You can see some red coming out of there. But when it goes off like that, you can see it launching rocks and volcanic gases high into the sky. It looked like at one point you saw him go several hundred feet into the sky from there. So that is obviously a big concern when those lava bombs come down. They can be very, very dangerous ad deadly, Ana.</s>CABRERA: And it just seems never ending especially looking at those live images, Stephanie. And now we hear about this laze threat sending volcanic glass particles and hydrochloric acid into the air. What are Hawaiians doing to stay safe?</s>ELAM: Right. Well, that is one thing that is keep people out of that, really one of the biggest concerns is the sulfur dioxide. Now they are seeing that those levels have tripled over the last day or so with this moving eruption there. Deadly gases, so toxic and if you can get too much it can give you a headache. They can weigh on your lungs. So they are asking people to be careful because of that. And that can be part of what you see behind me, that big white cloud. That is what we are talking about there. They are strong. You need gas masks to be around them. And so, that is part what have they are asking people to be vigilant about and staying away and watching the winds. If the gases in our case were to change and come this direction we would have to leave. But it's a lot of paying attention to how things are blowing, how things are moving. It's something that requires much attention in this smaller area of Hawaii.</s>CABRERA: I know you were doing what you need to do to stay safe, Stephanie, but definitely I'm concerned for you on our team there. We appreciate you keeping us appraised of what's happening on the ground in Hawaii as the lava continues to spew from the fissures. For the science of what to expect next from the Kilauea volcano, I want to turn to CNN meteorologist Tom Sater. Tom, Hawaiians are having to deal with hot lava, sulfur dioxide and now laze. What's the outlook?</s>TOM SATER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It seems like it is getting worse, Ana. I mean, really, what we do not know is how much longer this is going to go on. I mean, we know the hazards are all there. We are all becoming better educated with the terms like vog (ph) and fountaining and spattering. But homes are still, you know, in danger. Ad take a look at this. Can you believe they are having lava viewing parties? I just can't believe that people have not evacuated the area. Now please understand that only five percent of the Hawaiian Islands are being affected. Now the other end of the big island is a good 70 miles away. But the scientists and geologists that are studying the lava put out a report even a week ago, almost a week and a half, saying that the lava that we have been seeing through the fissures is from the 1955 eruption. That at some point it was going to become much hotter and more liquefied, and that's what happened in the last 24 hours. So if you notice this lava trail, again, Ana, on a grander scale, fissure 20 has met up with fissure 22, so the lava that's now coming and oozing out of the ground is much hotter. It moves much faster and now that these two have joined they have moved three miles all the way to the ocean. And that's where you get into that problem of laze. If you look at the other issue, as sulfur dioxide emission have tripled, because there is ore venting taking place, we have more brush fires now because the lava is oozing much further. Back in the 90s we had a lava flow that added 500 yards to the big island. But on the other end of the island is a good 300 miles away. So again, this laze is really only impacting one area. Let's look at another issue, too. And I just want to go on with this because the laze, the hydrochloric acid and that glass, one small area right now. But on a grander scale when we pull out, they are open for business. They want you to know we have heard that there are cancellations taking place next September and October. Now, commercial flights will not go into this -- this ash. We had two eruptions over the weekend. One registering a 5.0 on the Richter scale, but these jet engines, when the ash gets into these engines, first it gets warmed, liquefies and then the air flow cools it down and it becomes a gummy tar, so they are going to stay away. There's really no air restriction because it's such a small area, but, again, tourism is still booming. We want everybody to know, yes, it's a phenomenon that is scary and frightening. We have an injury with a man getting hit with an</s>CABRERA: All right. Tom Sater, thank you. Just ahead, despite a bump in the road the meeting between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is still on. How President Trump is preparing nest live in the CNN NEWSROOM.