PAHOA, HI - MAY 4: In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, a column of robust, reddish-brown ash plume occurred after a magnitude 6.9 South Flank following the eruption of Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on May 4, 2018 in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii. The governor of Hawaii has declared a local state of emergency near the Mount Kilauea volcano after it erupted following a 5.0-magnitude earthquake, forcing the evacuation of nearly 1,700 residents. (Photo by U.S. Geological Survey via Getty Images)
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Lava spills through Hawaii neighborhood
01:12 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

If the images of liquid fire don’t grab you, these staggering numbers from the Kilauea volcano eruption might.

Lava keeps spewing on Hawaii’s Big Island, swallowing homes and igniting fears of more destruction to come from Kilauea.

Here’s what the disaster looks like, by the numbers:

2,140 degrees Fahrenheit

Lava burns across a residential road Saturday near Pahoa, Hawaii.
Lava burns across a residential road Saturday near Pahoa, Hawaii.
Caleb Jones/AP

That’s the temperature of Kīlauea lava when it erupts. It’s 1,170 degrees Celsius, and it’s hot enough to melt gold.

After lava starts seeping across the surface, you can generally tell how hot it is by its color.

Yellow means the lava is about 1,832 to 2,192 F. Orange is about 1,472 to 1,832 F. And red is about 1,112 to 1,472 F.

36 structures destroyed

Lava errupts from a fissure on a street in Leilani Estates after Kilauea's eruption last week.
Lava errupts from a fissure on a street in Leilani Estates after Kilauea's eruption last week.
Handout/Getty Images North America/Getty Images

That includes at least 26 homes, and those numbers could grow. “The intermittent eruption of lava in Leilani Estates in the lower East Rift Zone of Kīlauea Volcano continues,” the US Geological Survey said.

1,700-plus residents evacuated

A man watches as lava spews from a fissure in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii.
A man watches as lava spews from a fissure in the Leilani Estates subdivision near Pahoa, Hawaii.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

All residents of Leilani Estates and nearby Lanipuna Gardens were told to evacuate. For one man, that meant saying goodbye to a house he built with his own hands.

15 fissures

Aerial footage shows lava spilling from a fissure.
Aerial footage shows lava spilling from a fissure.
Paradise Helicopters

Imagine the ground splitting open, revealing cracks through which lava can pour. That’s what fissures are. And now the Big Island’s Leilani Estates area – miles east of the Kilaeua volcano’s caldera – has at least 14 new fissures, spouting lava and sulfur dioxide, since the eruption May 3.

On Wednesday, a 15th fissure formed – this one in the Lanipuna subdivision, the Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency said.

weather usgs hawaii lava flow map 05062018
USGS

Hundreds of earthquakes

The eruption of Kilauea came after a series of earthquakes.
The eruption of Kilauea came after a series of earthquakes.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images

In the last week, there have been more than 890 earthquakes with a magnitude of 2 or greater on and around the Big Island, according to the USGS Volcano Science Center.

Even before the recent eruption, magma shifting around underground was already causing quakes, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

“The quakes are usually a good indication that an eruption may occur,” Jones said.

A large earthquake struck Hawaii's Big Island on Friday.
A large earthquake struck Hawaii's Big Island on Friday.
USGS

The biggest was a 6.9 temblor Friday.

On an island known for unpredictable quakes and volcanic eruptions, it’s impossible to be sure exactly when the next will strike.

CNN’s Judson Jones, Janet DiGiacomo, Marilia Brocchetto and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.