Thick rivers of lava are creeping down the sides of Mount Etna towards the village of Nicolosi as Europe's most active volcano spews its contents for a third straight day.
Five fissures have now opened up in the mountain on the Mediterranean island of Sicily and flowing lava has reached to within three miles of Nicolosi.
Italian security forces were preparing mud barricades to try to divert the magma flow around an empty tourist hostel above Nicolosi and evacuate residents from the village on the mountain's southern slopes if necessary.
The lava flow is now 400 metresacross in some places and has damaged several chairlifts dotted over the volcano, which is also a popular ski resort. Tourism representatives have said the magma is so hot that it is unlikely any snow will settle when winter comes.
Etna began rumbling in mid-June and has been billowing smoke and ash for over a week. On Wednesday a new fissure cracked open at a height of 2,100 metres, sending lava creeping down the volcano's southern slope.
Hundreds of people have headed to Etna to watch the eruption but officials have urged them to stay away from the lava.
Emergency authorities are building up mud walls to guide the magma safely and have sprayed the boiling crust with water.
Nicolosi has been swamped by lava before. But legend has it that in 1886 the local archbishop managed to divert the red-hot wave by placing a statue of Saint Anthony in front of the flow.
The last time Etna posed a threat was in 1992 when lava streams headed towards Zafferana, a town of 7,000 people crouched on Etna's lower slopes. The Italian military had to use controlled explosions to divert the flow.