Ford Mustangs may sometimes be implicated in unpleasant crashes, but by no means do any of them deserve to melt and burn under tons of volcanic emission. Unfortunately, such a fate befell one Ford Mustang in the eruption of Hawaii Island volcano Kilauea, which began this past week.
Kilauea began showing significant surface activity on Thursday, May 3, according to the United States Geological Survey, and has since seen expanding fissures in the ground, geysers of lava as high as 300 feet, and emissions of toxic subterranean gases, such as sulfur dioxide.
Evacuation of the local populace such as the affected neighborhood of Leilani Estates began the same day at around 4:45 p.m. local time. The following day, the USGS detected earthquakes as large as magnitude 6.9 on the Richter scale in the area of Kilauea.
Though lava outflow has declined, according to the Los Angeles Times‘ summary of the events, additional activity is expected to follow due to ongoing seismic activity. As of the story’s publication, a reported 35 buildings had been destroyed by volcanic activity, at least 26 of which were residences, though no deaths have been reported.
In addition to the lost abodes, at least one unlucky For Mustang owner lost their car. Video obtained by YouTube channel WXChasing shows the way the Mustang met its fiery end, which condenses several minutes of slow-moving lava flow and its effect on the Mustang into a shorter video. The car’s tires smoke and then burn first, with windshield glass noticeably cracking afterward, before the unibody frame on the affected side begins to slump, the heat sapping its structural rigidity.
The Drive sends its condolences to all those affected by Kilauea’s eruption. To lose one’s home in a natural disaster such as this is traumatizing, and we wish the loss of family residence befalls no further Hawaiians.