(BIVN) – Smoke and intermittent glow visible in the area of the recent eruption on Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone are signs of a small local wildfire, and not a reactivation of the lava flows that stopped on September 20th. 

The USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory issued a volcano status report just before noon on Monday, clarifying that Kīlauea is not erupting.

“An ongoing wildfire in the vicinity of the recent eruption area near Nāpau Crater in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park is visible in HVO webcam imagery,” the scientists wrote. 

From the USGS HVO status report:

Beginning at around 4 p.m. HST yesterday, October 6, a plume became visible on the south side of Nāpau Crater in the PWcam. Overnight, intermittent glow was visible in the same area, south of the vents that erupted from September 15-20 on Kīlauea middle East Rift Zone. Geophysical monitoring signals did not indicate that an eruption was occurring, and an overflight at approximately 11:30 a.m. HST today, October 7, confirmed that the plume and glow were due to a small local wildfire. This ongoing wildfire is in a similar vicinity to wildfires that were observed during the September 15-20, 2024, eruption.

The USGS Kīlauea Volcano Alert Level/Aviation Color Code remains at ADVISORY/YELLOW.