Photo: The Canadian Press

Red ash rises from the Puu Oo vent on Hawaii's Kilauea Volcano after a magnitude-5.0 earthquake struck the Big Island Thursday.

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted Thursday, sending lava shooting into the air in a residential neighbourhood and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for nearby homes.

Hawaii County said steam and lava poured out of a crack in Leilani Estates, which is near the town of Pahoa on the Big Island.

Footage shown on local television showed lava spurting into the sky from a crack in a road. Aerial drone footage showed a line of lava snaking through a forest.

Lava fountains were shooting 150 feet (46 metres) in the air, and molten lava spread out over an area about 200 yards (183 metres) wide behind one house in Leilani Estates, Big Island resident Ikaika Marzo told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser .

"It sounds like a jet engine. It's going hard," he said.

County, state and federal officials had been warning residents all week that they should be prepared to evacuate, as an eruption would give little warning.

The county has ordered evacuations for all of Leilani Estates, which according to the 2010 U.S. Census has a population of 1,500.

Nearby community centres have opened for shelter.

Ranson Yoneda, the recreation director for the Pahoa District Park, was readying the gymnasium for evacuees after it was selected as a Red Cross evacuation centre.

He said so far, about 15 people have arrived, some with animals, and they are hungry for information.

"They just want to know what's going on because they were told it's a mandatory evacuation," he said by telephone.

The U.S. Geological Survey said new ground cracks were reported Thursday afternoon. Hot vapour emerged from a crack and spattering lava began to erupt.

Scientists said areas downslope of the erupting vent were at risk of being covered by lava. Leilani Estates appeared to be at greatest risk, but scientists said new vents and outbreaks could occur and it's not possible to say where.