A 33-year-old man has died after being rescued from a closed area in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park, officials have confirmed. The incident occurred on February 26, prompting an overnight search and rescue operation in steep and hazardous terrain.
Search teams located the individual on February 27 and airlifted him to Hilo Benioff Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The man, a resident of Hawaiʻi, has not been named for privacy reasons, and his family has been notified.
The rescue took place in a closed volcanic area on the east side of the park’s Kīlauea caldera. Park officials warned that the caldera contains unstable cliff edges and volcanic features, urging visitors to stay in designated open areas and adhere to all closures.
Kīlauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, has been erupting intermittently since December 2024, with over 40 separate episodes. The 42nd eruption, which produced lava fountains up to 1,300 feet high, ended in mid-February. The U.S. Geological Survey expects fountaining to resume between March 10 and March 15.
The volcano is the youngest and most active on the island of Hawaiʻi, nearly the size of Oʻahu. Its name may translate to “spewing” or “much spreading,” and Native Hawaiians consider it the home of the volcanic deity Pelehonuamea, believed to reside in the Halemaʻumaʻu crater.
