A boy, roughly 2 to 3 years old, ran into a closed area Wednesday at the Kilauea Overlook, coming within a foot from the edge of Kaluapele, the summit caldera, before his mother managed to pull him to safety.

Jessica Ferracane, public affairs specialist for Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park, was there and witnessed the shocking scene just before sunset on Christmas Day.

Ferracane said she was about to tell a screaming woman to get out of the closed area beyond a post-and-cable barrier when she realized the woman — the child’s mother — was grabbing the boy, just in the nick of time.

Ferracane said if he had gone over the edge, it would have been a certainly fatal, 400-foot fall into Kaluapele, the volcano’s summit caldera, and “a horrible way to remember Christmas.”

“We’re always telling visitors keep your kids close, but when you see something like that happen and somebody almost dies, it’s really an upsetting experience for everybody there,” she said.

The family was clearly shaken, but there was a hush that fell over the dozens gathered there, Ferracane said.

Visitors have flocked to Kilauea after it began erupting Monday, and lava fountains have been active over the past few days.

There was a second pause 11 a.m. or so Wednesday, but USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says the eruption could restart at any time, and toxic gas emissions are still high.

The glow from Halemaumau, the lava lake, which is part of Kaluapele, the entire summit caldera, is visible from the lookout. The lava lake has grown to 600 acres since the major 2018 eruption. Prior to the big collapse, the lava lake was just 10 acres.

The park service and park rangers remind visitors to stay on the trail, stay out of closed areas and to keep their children close, especially when watching Kilauea from viewpoints along Crater Rim Trail.

Ferracane said there were roughly six or seven adults in the family standing in an open area.

“They weren’t paying attention, and the child wandered into the closed area,” she said.

They were not English speakers, she said, and park officials were not able to speak with them as they also left immediately after the incident.

“The hazards that coincide with an eruption are dangerous, and we have safety measures in place including closed areas, barriers, closure signs, and traffic management,” said park Superintendent Rhonda Loh in a written statement. “Your safety is our utmost concern, but we rely on everyone to recreate responsibly. National parks showcase nature’s splendor but they are not playgrounds.”

Glassy volcanic particulates called tephra blanket the closed portion of Crater Rim Drive downwind of the lava fountains.

Visitors should check air quality before their visit. People with respiratory or heart issues and pregnant women and children are especially sensitive to volcanic gas, the park service says.