Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano erupts for first time in nearly 40 years

The night sky above Hawaii's largest island glowed a hellish red as bright, hot lava sprang forth at the volcano's summit at around 11.30pm local time on Sunday.

The lava is contained within the summit and does not threaten Hawaiians living downslope for now, said the US Geological Service (USGS).

The service warned residents on Monday that volcanic gases and fine ash may drift their way.

Mauna Loa rises 4,169m above the Pacific Ocean, part of the chain of volcanoes that formed the islands of Hawaii. It last erupted in March and April of 1984, sending a flow of lava within 8.05km of Hilo, the island's largest city.

Hawaii's Emergency Management Agency said it had opened two shelters on the island as a precaution but also emphasised that there are no signs that lava will threaten populated areas and that it had not issued any evacuation orders.

About half of all recorded eruptions of Mauna Loa had been confined to the summit, the agency said.

(Reporting by Shubham Kalia in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Toby Chopra and Lisa Shumaker.)