Plus, a toddler nearly fell to their death while touring an active volcano in Hawaii with their family. In late December, an almost-tragedy prompted the National Park Service to issue an important reminder to tourists near Kilauea.

Molten rock began shooting from the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and propelled lava 295 feet (90 meters) into the air. The red liquid formed tall fountains and then spread across 650 acres (263 hectares). The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimated the lava was about 1 yard (1 meter) thick.

A toddler could have plummeted to his death on Christmas Day at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano if not for his mother's quick reaction, officials said.

What had been low-level lava flows since Thursday morning became more vigorous fountaining Friday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaii Volcano Observatory.

One of the world’s most active volcanoes erupted on Monday after a three-month hiatus, spewing bright orange lava as high as 300 feet, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

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,” officials said.

The eruption occurred about 2:20 a.m. local time Monday within Halemaʻumaʻu crater inside Kilauea's summit caldera, a closed area of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The National Park Service has warned people to be more careful when visiting the erupting Kīlauea volcano after a recent close call involving a family visiting the park.

One family’s Christmas holiday at a Hawaii national park almost ended in tragedy after a toddler nearly fell into a smouldering crater. The US National Park Service has issued an urgent warning to tourists after a child nearly fell into the active crater of the Kilauea volcano before he was rescued ‘in the nick of time.