Lava creeps 15 yards closer to Hawaii marketplace

PAHOA, Hawaii - Lava that had been stalled on its way to a shopping center on Hawaii's Big Island has started moving again and advanced 15 yards since Friday afternoon.

The molten rock is about 700 yards from Pahoa Marketplace and 0.6 miles from the intersection of Highway 130 and Pahoa Village Road.

Civil Defense officials say the movement at the flow front is sluggish and that the leading edge is a narrow 25 yards wide. They say the activity doesn't pose an immediate threat to residents or businesses.

Officials did warn that smoke and fog from the volcano could cause respiratory problems for medically vulnerable people, so they were advised to stay indoors.

The lava had previously been on pace to hit the marketplace around Christmas day, but then it stopped moving.