Europe

Iceland volcano eruption: houses on fire as lava hits fishing town

Town of Grindavík is evacuated after two fissures formed near the town on Sunday

Lava explosions and billowing smoke are seen near residential buildings in the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavík after a volcanic eruption on January 14th, 2024. Photograph: HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images

Mon Jan 15 2024 - 08:24

Houses have caught fire in the fishing town of Grindavík in southwest Iceland after a volcano erupted for the second time in less than a month.

Two fissures formed near the town on Sunday after an increase in seismic activity that prompted authorities to evacuate the community the day before.

A first eruption began at 8am when a crack opened in the ground about 450 metres from the town. Protective barriers of earth and rock pushed lava from the first fissure away from the town.

However, a second crack then opened around midday on the edge of town, measuring around 100 metres by the evening, with that lava engulfing the homes.

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A live video stream showed buildings had caught fire after a volcano erupted in southwest Iceland. Video: Reuters

At least three houses were engulfed by fire, live images from TV broadcaster RUV showed. Jets of glowing orange lava flowed out and a huge smoke cloud rose against the dark sky.

“In a little village like this one, we’re like a family, we all know each other as family – it’s tragic seeing this,” one local resident, Sveinn Ari Gudjonsson, told Agence France-Presse.

“It’s unreal, it’s like watching a film,” added the 55-year-old, who works in the fishing industry.

The latest eruption happened along a row of volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula, creating a glowing, winding river of lava. It has not disrupted air travel to or from Iceland, according to updates from Keflavik International Airport.

While volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, volcanoes on the Reykjanes Peninsula had been dormant for about 800 years until 2021. Since then, four eruptions have occurred on the peninsula, where about two-thirds of Iceland’s people live.

Previous eruptions occurred in remote valleys, without causing damage. Armann Hoskuldsson, a volcanologist, warned that the peninsula had “entered a new volcanic era,” with more seismic activity expected over the next decade.

“As soon as this one ends, magma begins building up elsewhere on the peninsula,” he said as he packed his gear and headed to the eruption site. – Agencies

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