Visitor rescued from Hawaii Volcanoes park after falling 30 feet off cliff

Visitor rescued from Hawaii Volcanoes park after falling 30 feet off cliff
Show Caption
Hide Caption
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spews stunning lava fountains
Hawaii's Kilauea volcano spewed lava fountains exceeding 1,000 feet, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
A Hawaii Volcanoes National Park visitor was rescued by first responders Wednesday night after falling 30 feet off a steep cliff while trying to get a closer look at the Kilauea volcanic eruption, according to park officials.
The 30-year-old man from Boston suffered minor facial injuries, according to the National Park Service. He had strayed from the popular Byron Ledge Trail to get a better view of the eruption, but "got too close to the sheer cliff edge," according to a Friday press release.
A tree broke his fall, otherwise he risked plunging "another hundred feet or so to the caldera floor, which could have resulted in his death," according to the release.
Rangers were notified of the incident at around 9 p.m. They saved the visitor in a high-angle rescue, rappelling down the cliff face to hoist him back up to the ledge.
On the day of the accident, the volcano – considered one of the world's most active – was spewing lava fountains of more than 1,000 feet. Evenings are an especially popular time for park visitors to visit eruptions and watch the lava glow against the night sky. However, the park said the man did not have a flashlight or headlamp.
Raw Hawaii: Why you need a whole day at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park
Since Kilauea began erupting in late December, the park has seen an increase in visitors coming to witness the natural spectacle, with congested parking lots and crowded overlooks. Eruptions are also considered a sacred event in Hawaiian culture as this landscape is believed to be the home of Pelehonuamea, goddess of creation and destruction.
The park said it consistently warns visitors about the safety hazards of watching the volcanic eruptions.
During the initial eruption, the park released a public warning, saying that a toddler wandered off from his family and ran toward a 400-foot cliff edge on Christmas Day.
"Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk," the park had said following the close call.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Yahoo

5 hours ago

• Yahoo

National Park Service seeks public feedback on ‘un-American' information or behavior

PENINSULA, Ohio (WJW) — New signs are posted at various locations within national parks across the country, asking for the public's feedback to report 'un-American' activity. The National Park Service signs read: 'Feedback is needed for any areas that need repair, services that need improvement or anything that's negative in nature toward past or living Americans.' The message has sparked controversy among some visitors, who believe it's an attempt to change historical narratives. Ohio campground named the best in Midwest 'History is history,' said Pat Carrigan of Boulder, Colorado. 'These seem to be efforts to whitewash history.' 'Just want it to be true and accurate,' said David Sheeham of Rushville, Indiana. 'I don't really see what could be un-American about a national park,' said Megan Minges of Cincinnati. Visitors to Cuyahoga Valley National Park have taken notice of the new signs, which ask guests for feedback. The U.S. Department of the Interior said it wants to know if something needs repair, if services should be improved, or if there are any signs or other negative information about past or living Americans. Cuyahoga Valley National Park Public Information Officer Pamela Barnes sent a statement to FOX 8 News explaining the system: 'This effort reaffirms the NPS mission by emphasizing the importance of accuracy in how we tell stories of American history,' Barnes said via email. 'Our visitors come to national parks to celebrate the beauty, abundance and grandeur of America's landscapes and extraordinary multicultural heritage. This allows them to personally connect with these special places, free of any partisan ideology. At Cuyahoga Valley National Park, we posted the sign in the lobbies of Boston Mill Visitor Center and Canal Exploration Center. It is also posted in the bulletin boards of our ten busiest trailheads.' The feedback system is part of President Donald Trump's executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Crystal Davis, senior Midwest regional director of the National Parks Conservation Association — a nonprofit that advocates for the parks — said she is disheartened and concerned by the new policy. She believes it aims to present an incomplete picture of American history. 'Omitting a part of our history or attempting to erase our history does not make it untrue,' Davis said. 'At NPCA, we have been focused on telling full stories. We understand that the American story is complex and full of highs and lows, and we are resilient people who have gone through a lot. But it's imperative that we make sure we tell that full story because you don't know where you're going unless you know where you've been.' Davis said it's unclear whether the feedback will result in repercussions for staff or rangers, but she worries it could add more strain to park employees, especially as funding and staff positions have recently been cut. The executive order seeks to reverse changes made to public monuments, memorials, statues, markers or similar properties within the Interior Department's jurisdiction after Jan. 1, 2020. The order reads, in part: 'The prior administration sponsored training by an organization that advocates dismantling 'Western foundations' and 'interrogating institutional racism' and pressured National Historical Park rangers that their racial identity should dictate how they convey history to visiting Americans because America is purportedly racist.' At Cuyahoga Valley National Park, many visitors said they aren't paying much attention to the signs, which are relatively small and easy to miss. Still, those who did see them had a range of reactions. 'They don't want you to talk about anything negative that happened in America,' said Judy Coleman of Northeast Ohio. 'Although, that's how we learn things — that's how we learn from our mistakes.' Bagworm outbreak threat growing in Ohio, OSU warns Sheeham said that's very important. 'It's who we are, you know? And it's what's going on in the lifetime of America that we know,' he said. 'Good or bad. Been plenty of bad, along with the good.' Carrigan is 'troubled' by 'efforts to try to change history.' Several visitors said politics should stay out of the parks. One man noted that this is one place where it shouldn't matter whether someone is a Republican or a Democrat. Minges pointed out another sign that said 'Welcome' in many languages. 'That's what we should be doing — welcoming everyone to look at our national parks, to see the beauty of the national parks,' Minges said. 'Not everybody is going to be speaking English. This is what we should be having on every door.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

UPI

14 hours ago

• UPI

Kilauea volcano spews lava more than 1,000 feet into Hawaiian air

Jets of searing hot molten lava spewed over 1,000 feet into the Hawaiian air Friday from the Kilauea volcano. Pictured is a May 4, 2018 column of robust, reddish-brown ash plume from a Kilauea eruption following a 6.9 magnitude earthquake on the South Flank of Kilauea shook the Big Island of Hawaii. File Photo by USGS/UPI | License Photo June 20 (UPI) -- Jets of searing hot molten lava spewed more than 1,000 feet into the Hawaiian air Friday from the Kilauea volcano. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said in a statement that the "eruption began at approximately 1:40 a.m. HST, June 20, with lava fountains and flows erupting from the north vent. Fountain heights are well over 1,000 feet. Plume is over 20,000 ft." Kilauea is one of six active volcanoes in Hawaii, including Mauna Loa, the largest active volcano in the world. The cloud released by the lava eruption can include hazards like volcanic glass called Pele's hair and rock fragments known as tephra. The observatory said that has the potential to cause "far-reaching effects downwind." The current eruption was Kilauea's 26th since December 2024. The lava jet is known as lava fountaining. The Hawaii Volcano Observatory predicted in a June 16 statement: "Episode 26 lava fountaining will likely begin between June 18 and 20 based on current rates of summit inflation." The main hazards of the lava fountaining include volcanic gas, primarily water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sulfur dioxide; and volcanic haze or smog, known as vog, which can blow downwind." Residents of area affected by the lava fountaining cloud are advised to minimize exposure due to the glass and other fragments within it.

NBC Sports

15 hours ago

• NBC Sports

Sean McVay: Rams' minicamp in Hawaii is about quality time together

The Rams made the unusual decision to have this week's mandatory minicamp in Maui, and coach Sean McVay said the trip was as much about togetherness as it was about football. Players were encouraged to bring their families with them for a Hawaiian vacation, and McVay said that meant a lot for the team's bonding. McVay also said that Los Angeles and Maui have in common that they're rebuilding from wildfires, and that the Rams wanted to bring some goodwill to the area. 'It's about connection and being able to get some time,' McVay said, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN. 'It's cool to be able to really, for me, meet a lot of these guys' families that maybe I haven't met quite yet or see their wives or girlfriends or their kids, and so that's been a really cool thing so far. This is about being able to get some good quality time with each other and then being able to use the platform that we're blessed with to be able to get back to a community that went through some similar things that we can all understand and kind of empathize with, and you see how excited they are to see our players and that's fun.' There was a time when summer practices in the NFL were brutal, and coaches were taskmasters. McVay represents a new generation of coaches who see the summer as a time to build camaraderie and make sure players are taking care of their bodies so they're healthy when the season starts. That buys him plenty of goodwill with his players.