Diamond Head Road remained closed to traffic last night because of possible rockfalls.

Honolulu police said the closure would extend into today while engineers from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources assess the hillside.

The road was closed Friday after a dozen or more basketball-size rocks fell to the road between the first and third lookouts about 4 p.m.

Pedestrians and bicycles will be allowed into the area.

GIANT POND OF LAVA LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT

VOLCANO, Hawai'i — A sloshing, surging lava pond deep within the summit of the Big Island's Kilauea volcano is creating a bright glow and lighting up the nighttime sky.

The molten rock has illuminated Halema'uma'u crater since Thursday, a result of an interruption in the volcano's flow since early January.

Magma returning to the volcano after the interruption has caused the pond to rise to within 400 feet of the crater floor. The pond is normally about 660 feet below the crater's surface.

Geologist Tim Orr said heat from the loud, spattering lava flow could be felt from more than 800 feet above the pond.

Orr estimated the pond was slightly smaller than Hilo Bay's Coconut Island — about 230 to 330 feet across.

—Staff and news services