here in hilo on the big island of hawaii, nick calber has made a living documenting spectacular lavaease to amaze him. but this one story stands out among the rest. that's when a village is decimated by lava. >> this was a beautiful, beautiful area back when. it's just been turned into a parking lot. there's very little left down here. >> the story begins in 1983. kalapana is a lush, fishing village on the eastern coast of the big island. but the town's proximity to a very active volcano means residents live watchfully and remindful of the threat of destruction. in january, 1983, kilauea erupts, powerfully blasting lava high into the air. nick calber and his crew begin to film the explosive events. >> the high fountain back in the '80s, once a month, once every three weeks, it would high fountain 800 to 1,500 feet in the air and it was absolutely amazing. >> this high fountaining is a spectacle, but looks could be deceiving. it's effusive, not explosive like mount st. helens. it's less likely to dump ash on surrounding towns. 20 miles away, it's not in imminent danger, that is until