Hawaii lava flow may force residents to leave their homes at any moment. Main roads are closed as molten lava from a volcano moves closer to rural areas.

The lava covered grave sites as it passed through a predominantly Buddhist cemetery, causing officials to close the main road to everyone except local residents.

No evacuations from authorities have been ordered at the time of writing.

Dozens of people are residing in the path of the volcano lava flow in Pahoa. According to The Associated Press, authorities said late Sunday that lava flow on Hawaii had picked up speed, advancing about 170 yards since 9 a.m. and moving at a rate of about 15-20 yards an hour.

The flow that stems from the Kilauea volcano threatened Pahoa since June. It is moving toward the largest town in the mostly rural region of Puna and for weeks, it has been speeding up.

The Kilauea volcano has been erupting continuously since 1983. For the past two years, lava has flowed northeast as opposed to flowing south as it has in all previous years.

Janet Babb, a geologist and spokeswoman for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, said methane explosions have also been going off. She explained that decomposing vegetation produces methane gas that can travel below the Earth's surface beyond the lava front in different directions, accumulating in pockets that can ignite. She said it was a bit unnerving to hear all the blasts on Saturday.

Hawaii officials are monitoring the advancement of the lava flow. Residents are on evacuation notice and expected to leave their homes within three to five days.

The Red Cross said it will open a shelter to house any evacuees who have nowhere to go, according to The Weather Channel. Residents nearby say that they can see the flow from their balcony.