Thirty years ago Thursday, Kilauea began erupting and hasn't stopped since.

Kilauea's volcanic roar began on Jan. 3, 1983.  Scientists viewed it as an event that would last days or weeks, at most.

How wrong they were.

Kilauea kept going, wiping out eight homes in the Royal Gardens subdivision two months later.

This was only the beginning.

A year later, Mauna Loa joined in the eruption -- a spectacular sight that hadn't been seen since 1868.

Residents in the Kapa'ahu Homestead were forced to evacuate in 1986 when Kilauea's lava flow switched course.

Former Hawaii County Mayor Harry Kim was head of the Hawaii County Civil Defense at the time.

Royal Gardens residents were left stranded when lava oozed over Kalapana Highway.

PHOTOS: Fiery October at Kilauea Volcano

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