HONOLULU -- The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there is no truth to a rumor circulating in the islands that Hawaii will be hit with a large earthquake and tsunami on Monday.

Oahu Civil Defense was among the many places across the state, including KITV's newsroom, being flooded with panicked phone calls on Sunday night. Officials there said they fielded more than 300 calls in a matter of hours.

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"There is no forecast, no watch, no warning in effect, no prediction that I know of from an official government agency of a major quake after midnight tonight," said Ed Texeira of state Civil Defense.

Officials stressed that there is no way of predicting an earthquake.

No one seems to know how the rumor started, but Civil Defense officials said they plan to investigate.

The rumor sparked panic in some neighborhoods, where there were reports of people evacuating their homes and lining up to buy gasoline.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was no earthquake on Sunday that would have generated a tsunami.