Officials on the Big Island of Hawaii say some vents formed by Kilauea volcano are releasing such high levels of sulfur dioxide that the gas poses an immediate danger to anyone nearby.

Volcanic activity from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano pauses on Tuesday, authorities says, while warning that more outbreaks should be anticipated.

A series of fresh earthquakes, including a powerful magnitude 6.9, hit Hawaii's Big Island, where the Kilauea volcano has been spewing fountains of lava into residential areas and forcing hundreds to evacuate.

The US state of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano erupted Thursday, causing lava to spew out of ground fissures in residential areas and prompting thousands of people to flee.