Viral Lava Video Is From Kilauea (Hawaii), Not Indonesia's Anak Krakatau

Summary: A widely shared video purporting to show Indonesia's Mount Anak Krakatau erupting in September 2026 actually shows lava fountaining at Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii on August 25. Verification by reverse-image search, metadata analysis and the original uploader confirm the clip's true origin.

How the Misidentification Spread

On September 6, a Burmese-language Facebook post claimed dramatic footage of orange-red lava shooting from a crater was evidence of an Anak Krakatau eruption and warned that six airports had been closed. The post included superimposed text asserting the clip showed the Indonesian eruption.

Screenshot comparison of falsely shared video (L) and the original video uploaded by Justin Hirako

Verification: Where the Clip Really Came From

AFP traced the clip using reverse-image search and found an earlier, higher-quality upload dated September 3 that identified the video as “episode 54” from Kilauea Volcano in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park. That upload came from the account of Justin Hirako, who posts as 808hiker.

"I originally published the footage through my 808hiker social media accounts, and it has since been reposted in numerous places with incorrect information attached to it," Hirako told AFP on September 10.

AFP reviewed the original file provided by Hirako. Metadata examined with the InVID WeVerify tool shows the file was created on August 25 — more than a week before Anak Krakatau’s September 5 eruption. The US Geological Survey (USGS) also documented Episode 54 of Halemaʻumaʻu at Kilauea beginning at 10:30 AM local time on August 25 and later published a compilation video summarizing the event. US broadcaster Fox Weather used similar footage in its coverage of the Kilauea activity.

Screenshot of the InVID WeVerify analysis with the date highlighted by AFP

What Happened At Anak Krakatau

Separately, Anak Krakatau — located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra — produced a major eruption on September 5, 2026. The event sent lava fountains and an ash plume into the air, forcing Indonesia's main airport and several other hubs to suspend operations. Nearly 3,000 flights were grounded and more than 340,000 passengers were temporarily stranded. Airport operations began resuming on September 8 after authorities cleared ash from key infrastructure.

Context: Two Different Volcanoes

While both events involved lava and dramatic visuals, they are unrelated: Kilauea on Hawai'i has been erupting intermittently since 1983 and is one of six active Hawaiian volcanoes (including Mauna Loa), whereas Anak Krakatau has been intermittently active since emerging in the early 20th century within the caldera formed by the 1883 Krakatau eruption.

Bottom line: The viral lava video does not show Anak Krakatau. It was filmed at Kilauea on August 25 by Justin Hirako (808hiker) and has been widely reposted with incorrect captions.