The number of homes destroyed by lava shooting out of openings on the ground created by Hawaii's Kilauea volcano climbed to nine Sunday as some of the more than 1,700 people who evacuated prepared for the possibility they may not return for quite some time.

Hawaii County civil defense officials said two new fissures opened overnight, bringing the total to nine that opened in the Leilani Estates neighborhood since Thursday.

And still, some residents chose to stay, like Cheryl Griffith and Sam Knox.

Griffith told the Associated Press that volcanic eruptions are the price you pay for living in paradise.

"That's the gamble that you take – it's to have all this beauty. And, it's a volcano. You gotta just know that you live on an active volcano," she said.

Knox said he chose not to evacuate because shelters were already overcrowded.

Scientists said Kilauea was likely to release more lava through additional vents, but they were unable to predict exactly where.

Leilani Estates, a subdivision in the mostly rural district of Puna, is at greatest risk.

Authorities ordered more than 1,700 residents to evacuate from there and nearby Lanipuna Gardens.

Hundreds of small earthquakes continued to rumble through the area Saturday, one day after a magnitude-6.9 temblor hit — the largest earthquake to hit Hawaii in more than 40 years.

Magma moving through Kilauea set off the earthquakes, said geologists, who warned of aftershocks.