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Diverting a lava flow is not as easy as some people — including then-Lt. Col. George Patton — once thought.

Affordable housing in the fast-growing Puna area comes with a big risk — several communities have been wiped out by earlier lava flows.

Photos from ÌìÃÀÊÓƵ’s Anthony Quintano offer a look at the spectacle of lava and steam as new volcanic fissures open up.

In total, there have now been 18 lava outbreaks, destroying at least two dozen homes and prompting evacuation orders for 2,000 residents.

Earlier in the week, the feds approved a similar assistance request for damage caused by floods on Kauai and Oahu.

Civil Beat photographer Cory Lum spent a day in the heart of the Kilauea eruption zone where at least 26 homes were destroyed.

Scientists said internal conditions at Kilauea are changing in a way that could lead to an explosive eruption.

The state expects to spend $3 million to protect residents during the next month.

Lava flows from Kilauea, one of the earth’s most active volcanos, have already destroyed 36 structures in the Puna District of the Big Island.

After a brief pause in volcanic activity, two more lava fissures Tuesday threatened Leilani Estates and Lanipuna Gardens communities.