<p id="rz_8">Shortly after this July 24 picture was taken in his Kalapana, Hawaii, backyard, Gary Sleik's house was consumed by lava. (<a id="ku3a" title="Watch a lava video." href="http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/environment-natural-disasters/volcanoes/volcano-lava.html">Watch a lava video.</a>)</p><p>Lava is a fact of life in Kalapana, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Big Island's Kilauea volcano, known for its lazy streams of fluid rock. Situated within <a id="x7n3" title="Hawaii Volcanoes National Park" href="http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/hawaii-volcanoes-national-park/">Hawaii Volcanoes National Park</a>, Kilauea may be the only volcano in the world with a drive-in caldera. It's been oozing smooth <a id="fxy8" title="pahoehoe lava" href="http://science.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/science/photos/rocks/ripples-pahoehoe/">pahoehoe lava</a> since 1983.</p>
A Backyard Brightens
Shortly after this July 24 picture was taken in his Kalapana, Hawaii, backyard, Gary Sleik's house was consumed by lava. (Watch a lava video.)
Lava is a fact of life in Kalapana, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the Big Island's Kilauea volcano, known for its lazy streams of fluid rock. Situated within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Kilauea may be the only volcano in the world with a drive-in caldera. It's been oozing smooth pahoehoe lava since 1983.
Pictures: Creeping Lava Consumes Home
As lava from the Kilauea volcano crept closer to his Hawaiian home, resident Gary Sleik felt three years of anxiety go up in smoke.
