Plumes of smoke billowing from Hawaii's Kilauea volcano fissure have been filmed from the air by the state's National Guard.

Shot by Technical Sergeant Andrew L Jackson from a UH 60 helicopter, the clouds of black ash can be seen rising from a vent which previously spewed lava.

The path of molten rock has slowly torn through the lush greenery on the island of Hawai'i.

Experts fear that the complex system underneath the volcano could be about to reach a new stage, which could see a blanket of ash and boulders the size of fridges thrown out of the volcano.

Residents have been warned that mass evacuations may be necessary if the Kilauea volcano eruptions become more violent.

Kilauea has been erupting on an almost constant basis for 35 years, but it is rarely violent and lava generally just oozes out from fissures and into the ocean.