Houses in the Icelandic town of Grindavik have been set on fire after two volcanic fissures opened nearby. A volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula erupted in the early hours of Sunday, spilling lava into the fishing town. The eruption is considered "the worst-case scenario," with the entire population evacuated. The flow of lava has cut off the main road into the city. Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson urged people to "stand together and have compassion for those who cannot be in their homes" and hoped the situation would calm down.
Strong earthquake tremors preceded the December eruption in the Svartsengi volcanic system. In the weeks since, walls were built around the volcano to direct molten rock away from Grindavik, home to around 4,000 people. The Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) reported that barriers had been breached in some places, allowing lava to reach the town and set houses and buildings on fire.
There was no indication of disruption to domestic or international flights following the eruption. The IMO's aviation color code for the Reykjanes peninsula was orange on Monday morning, indicating an ongoing eruption with "no or minor ash emission." Flights from nearby Keflavik Airport were operating as usual.
Science journalist and volcanologist Robin Andrews said the ongoing eruption is an "extremely perilous and deleterious situation" now that lava has made its way into the town. The outpour of lava from the two current fissures shows "no sign of slowing down," and the aftermath could be problematic for people with pre-existing respiratory problems. Iceland's alert level has been raised to "emergency," signaling a threat of harm to people, communities, property, or the environment.
