The slopes of Kilauea offer a lush rural setting and affordable land, but living on one of the world's most active volcanoes comes with risks: A dozen lava vents have opened in the streets, and 35 structures have burned down.
The Leilani Estates subdivision was ordered to evacuate after lava burst through cracks in the ground. But Cheryl Griffith refused to leave.
As lava crawled down Leilani Road in a hissing, popping mass, she stood in its path and placed a plant in the crack in the ground as an offering to the Native Hawaiian volcano goddess, Pele.
"I love this place, and I've been around the volcano for a while," said Griffith, 61. "I'm just not one to rush off."
The subdivision in the Puna district, a region of mostly unpaved roads of volcanic rock, is about a 30-minute drive from the coastal town of Hilo. Puna has thick jungle as well as dark fields of lava rock from past eruptions.