The holiday season almost ended in tragedy for one family after a toddler nearly fell off a 400-foot cliff in Hawaii near the island's erupting Kilauea volcano.

A toddler wandered nearly a foot toward death at a volcano park in Hawaii when his mother caught hold of him in time to save his life, according to the National Park Service.

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.

Molten rock began shooting from the volcano before dawn on Monday when fissures opened in the caldera floor and propelled lava 295 feet (90 meters) into the air. The red liquid formed tall fountains and then spread across 650 acres (263 hectares). The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory estimated the lava was about 1 yard (1 meter) thick.

The National Park Service has warned people to be more careful when visiting the erupting Kīlauea volcano after a recent close call involving a family visiting the park.

One family’s Christmas holiday at a Hawaii national park almost ended in tragedy after a toddler nearly fell into a smouldering crater. The US National Park Service has issued an urgent warning to tourists after a child nearly fell into the active crater of the Kilauea volcano before he was rescued ‘in the nick of time.