ICELAND: A small fishing village in southwest Iceland was evacuated early on Sunday, and authorities stated there was no danger to citizens. However, by midafternoon, molten lava flows had reached the town’s outskirts, setting some houses on fire.
Live footage from the daily Morgunbladid saw fountains of molten rock and smoke shooting from earthen fissures over a vast region towards the village of Grindavik, where at least one house had caught fire.
On the social media platform X, Iceland’s President Gudni Johannesson stated, “No lives are in danger, although infrastructure may be under threat,” and that there had been no flight disruptions.
Authorities stated that the eruption started early on Sunday north of the town, which had just hours earlier been evacuated for the second time since November due to concerns about an impending outbreak amid a flurry of seismic activity.
In an attempt to stop lava from reaching Grindavik, which is located about 40 km (25 miles) southwest of Reykjavik, the authorities erected rock and earth barriers in recent weeks; nevertheless, the most recent eruption has breached the town’s defenses.
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According to its website, the adjacent geothermal spa Blue Lagoon closed on Sunday.
It was the fifth eruption since 2021 and the second in less than a month on the Reykjanes peninsula in southwest Iceland.
The Svartsengi volcano system erupted last month on December 18, which came after the 4,000 residents of Grindavik were completely evacuated one month prior, and the popular tourist destination, the Blue Lagoon, was closed.
