Hawaii Volcanic Eruption | The Kilauea Volcano

Red ash rises from the Pu'u O'o vent on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano after a magnitude 5.0 earthquake struck island Thursday.Kevan Kamibayashi/U.S. Geological Survey via AP

The Kilauea volcano on the island of Hawaii erupted Thursday, scarring forests and sending plumes of ash thousands of feet into the sky.

Authorities ordered residents to evacuate on Friday as new fissures spewed lava and molten rock up to 100 feet in the air in the Leilani Estates subdivision, which sits within the Kilauea rift zone. The US Geological Survey further warned that more fissures may open up in the area in the coming days.

Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued anemergency proclamation ordering the National Guard to assist with evacuations.

Beyond the immediate fire danger from the lava, high levels of sulfur dioxide spewing from the volcano pose a serious threat to children, elderly people, and people with respiratory issues.

"It sounded like there were rocks in a dryer that were being tumbled around," Jeremiah Osuna, a local resident told The Washington Post. "You could hear the power of it pushing out of the ground."