(CNN) After an eruption from the Kilauea volcano's summit shot ash and smoke 30,000 feet into the air on Thursday, officials handed out almost 18,000 masks to help residents deal with the fallout.

Rain kept the ash from going very far, and the ashfall was light, but officials still warned people in the area on Hawaii's Big Island to stay indoors and to use the masks.

US Geological Survey geologist Michelle Coombs described the event as "energetic, but short-lived" and said most of the debris ejected from the crater likely fell near the explosion site.

A webcam from a Hawaiian Volcano Observatory tower captures the plume rising into the sky.

Officials expect volcanic activity to continue, citing a similar series of events in 1924 that lasted 2½ weeks.

"This event is far from over," said Talmadge Magno, civil defense administrator for Hawaii County.

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