Volcano eruption eases

REYKJAVIK — Volcanic activity in southwest Iceland appears to have eased, authorities said on Monday, a day after lava from an eruption flowed into the fishing town of Grindavik, engulfing several homes.

A volcanic eruption began early Sunday near Grindavik, southwest of the capital Reykjavik, and two fissures opened up. 

Iceland is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.

“The night has been uneventful,” Hjordis Gudmundsdottir of Iceland’s Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management told broadcaster RUV, adding: “The good news is that there seems to be less flow.” 

Magma from the second and smaller of two fissures stopped on Monday, Gudmunsdottir said.

Large flows of glowing orange lava spewing out from the second crack engulfed at least three houses.

It was Iceland’s fifth volcanic eruption in under three years. The most recent occurred just weeks ago on December 18 in the same region. 

Grindavik’s 4,000 residents had been evacuated in November as a precaution. Shortly after the December 18 eruption, they were allowed to return for brief periods. 

They were authorised to regain their homes permanently on December 23 but only a few dozen chose to do so.

“I want to go back, I want to build up the town. It’s a beautiful town, there are great people there [and] it’s really good to raise children there,” Pall Thorbjornsson, a real estate agent in his fifties who has lived in Grindavik for 20 years, told AFP.

Erla Osk Petursdottir, 43, said on Monday she wanted “nothing more than to go back to Grindavik”, but “people are scared and I think once this event ends... we don’t know if there will be more eruptions or earthquakes”.