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. The National Park Service said in a statement that the toddler wandered off from his family at the Kilauea Overlook and snuck past the barrier blocking onlookers from the volcano before running toward the 400-foot cliff edge.

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.

Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted early Monday on Hawaii’s Big Island, sending out glittering torrents of lava. The U.S. Geological Survey said its Hawaiian Volcano Observatory spotted signs of an eruption in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park around 2:30 a.

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.

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