A toddler could have plummeted to his death on Christmas Day at Hawaii's Kilauea volcano if not for his mother's quick reaction, officials said.

Those who ignore the warnings, walk past closure signs, lose track of loved ones, and sneak into closed areas to get a closer look do so at great risk,” officials said.

Kilauea began erupting around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning local time at the base of the Halemaumau Crater within the summit caldera after elevated seismic activity was detected overnight.

The National Park Service says the boy was just about a foot away from a fatal fall when his mother snatched him up

Lava is erupting from Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano for the second straight day. The eruption has stayed within Kilauea’s summit caldera inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park and no homes are threatened.

The USGS is maintaining a yellow advisory level for this event, which means the volcano is exhibiting signs of elevated unrest. With reports of the recent activity and new ground movement, the USGS made a note of hazardous conditions in the area, such as uneven terrain, crater wall instability, and falling rocks.

As thousands more visitors descend upon Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to view Kilauea erupting, the park warns people to take safety precautions.

National Park officials urged caution after a toddler nearly fell off a 400-foot cliff while the family visited erupting volcano Kīlauea. After a three-month pause the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii started erupting on Dec.