The Kilauea volcano spewed lava fountains as a new fissure opened.

The volcano erupted between 4 am and 5 am on September 17, within the secluded confines of Napau Crater in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The eruption, originating from a fresh fissure vent, has transformed the crater into a cauldron of fire, with lava fountains soaring about 10 metres into the air.

Witnesses and monitoring teams from the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory reported that the lava flows were confined within Napau Crater, covering about 25-30 per cent of its floor by 8:30 am.

The newly formed fissure stretches across 0.5 km east-west, bisecting the northern part of the crater floor.

On Monday, September 23, the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory downgraded the volcano alert level from watch to advisory as the Kilauea eruption ended on Friday and is unlikely to restart. The Aviation Color Code has also been lowered from orange to yellow.

The recent eruption began on Sunday, September 15, and had four eruptive phases, concluding on Friday, September 20, around 10 am.

Authorities noted that seismic activity in the area has been low since then, and HVO seismometers no longer record tremors caused by magma within vents.

Kilauea is a highly active shield volcano, estimated to be between 210,000 and 280,000 years old, having emerged from the sea about 100,000 years ago.

Its last major eruption occurred between May and September 2018, displacing thousands of residents and destroying 716 homes.

During that eruption, lava flowed from 24 different vents, with one significant explosion sending debris 30,000ft (9,100 metres) into the sky.