After months of watching and waiting lava has now destroyed at least two abandoned homes on the Big Island.

The fiery flow could soon cover the only road in and out for the two remaining residents of Royal Gardens.

The two occupied homes aren't in any immediate danger but the threat of getting trapped in the subdivision got one resident out of bed in the middle of the night.

A team from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory flew over the area on Tuesday.

Experts said the lava had traveled about two-thirds of the way downslope through the subdivision.

Resident Jack Thompson runs a bed and breakfast at his home. He said the flow is about half a mile away.

Around 2:00 a.m. he hopped on his motorcycle and left the subdivision just in case lava covered the only remaining exit

"There was a huge amount of activity," said Thompson. "You could see the wall of red clouds and it was making a lot of headway so to be on the safe side, I didn't want to get my transportation trapped inside here."

"We know that at least two houses had been destroyed by the lobe that was coming down Royal Avenue and there were two more houses below the Plumeria intersection which were kind of online with what the flow was doing," said Tim Orr of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.

Scientists will fly over the area on Thursday and may get dropped off for a closer look.

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