Lava from Kilauea on the so-called "Big Island" of Hawaii, one of the world's most active volcanoes, is slowly creeping toward a rural subdivision, as scientists warn that, if the molten flow continues on its trajectory, it could reach a small community of homes in about a week.

Lava could reach the Kaohe Homesteads, a sparsely populated subdivision, in four to six days, according to a report by The Associated Press.

Lava has been flowing underground, filling cracks and then reappearing above ground farther down the flank of the mountain after new vents on the volcano's northeast side appeared June 27.

So far, the lava has pushed about 8.2 miles from the vent, nearing the eastern edge of the Wao Kele o Puna Forest Reserve by about a mile.

Moving by about 820 feet a day, the lava, government officials estimate, could reach some homes in only a few days.

Hawaii County Civil Defense representatives flew a helicopter over the intrusion area and confirmed the lava was moving very slowly with very little vegetation burning, indicating the flow had advanced approximately 150 yards since the previous day.

Despite the fact the defense agency hasn't yet issued an evacuation order, some residents have already started to move their livestock, including cattle, pigs and horses.

Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed an emergency proclamation in anticipation of the lava moving across one of the area's main highways -- which could well block access to communities sitting in the lava's path.

Instead of an eruption from the volcano's caldera, which often makes for spectacular scenes of glowing red lava sprewing out and down the mountaintop, the current volcanic event has a large lava front slowly making its way down the mountain, through a heavy forest area that comprises thick tangles of vegetation and tall trees.

Officials told the AP they do not yet know exactly how many homes being jeopardized by the lava flow, though they said they're are conducting door-to-door interviews in the Kaohe Homesteads neighborhood to get a count.

The state Department of Health has issued warnings that advise residents near the lava flow to beware of the smoke from burning vegetation, which is also producing levels of sulfur dioxide.

Located on Hawaii's southeast side, the area is made up of subdivisions connected by a network of unpaved county roads of volcanic rock

"It's got a country-style living that appeals to people and that's somewhat rare in Hawaii," county spokesman Kevin Dayton said. "People there live off the grid on solar and catchment water systems. It's sort of an independent type of person who's willing to rough it a little bit."

In the 1990s, about 200 homes in the area were lost to lava flows from Kilauea.

There was one evacuation from the volcano in 2011, when one home was destroyed.

The United States Geological Survey says explains that Kilauea, which has been erupting continually since 1983, is the youngest volcano on Hawaii Island, with its very first eruption happening between 300,000 and 600,000 years ago.