Live Camera Captures Its Own Death As Kīlauea Volcano Eruption Shoots Lava Into Air In Hawaii

The ongoing drama at Kīlauea intensifies, as Hawaii’s iconic volcano has just kicked off its 38th eruption episode.

According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the eruption began at 8:45 a.m. local time Dec. 6, with constant lava fountaining that roared on for an impressive 12.1 hours. (RELATED: Alaska Blasted With Over 20 Aftershocks After Getting Rocked With Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake)

The current eruption episode series kicked off Dec. 23, 2024. These episodes normally last for a day or hours, with multi-day pauses of quiet in between.

Just before this latest event, Kīlauea’s 37th episode raged for more than 9 hours and was capped off by a punchy magnitude 4.6 earthquake.

WATCH:

In case you ever wondered what it would be liked to be engulfed in a lava fountain…

This video was recorded by the V3 camera, located on the south rim of Halema‘uma‘u crater at the summit of Kīlauea volcano on the Island of Hawai‘i. The camera, located in a hazardous closed… pic.twitter.com/7coXye39AK

— USGS Volcanoes🌋 (@USGSVolcanoes) December 6, 2025

Continuing Sunday for its 38th episode, Kīlauea put on a spectacular show. USGS cameras caught glowing lava fountains rocketing 1,000–1,200 feet into the sky from multiple breathtaking angles.

A live camera perched on the Halema‘uma‘u crater’s south rim delivered a heart-stopping front-row seat, with viewers able to watch in real time as towering lava fountains roared skyward, eventually swallowing the camera itself in a fiery, molten death.

Near the end of the video, the doomed camera cycled through a surreal kaleidoscope of fiery colors before finally being buried under a blanket of tephra between 9:55-9:57 a.m. local time, according to USGS.

With Kīlauea still in full swing, more explosive episodes are likely just around the corner.