For Anthony Quintano, former Honolulu Civil Beat photographer and engagement editor, covering the Kilauea eruption — the fiery rivers of lava, the destruction of hundreds of homes and the Big Island residents whose lives were upended — was more than an assignment.

It was a life-changing experience.

“I wanted to see lava up close and personal. I never thought I was going to see it the way I saw it during this event. And I just couldn’t step away from it,” he recalls. “I had to cover it until it stopped.”

In “Into The Fire,” a Civil Beat video produced by Quintano, Jessica Terrell and Ku’u Kauanoe, Quintano reflects on the awesome power of the volcano and its personal impact on him.