Iceland volcano starts erupting again

GRindavik, Iceland — A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted Wednesday for the fifth time since December, spewing red lava that once again threatened the coastal town of Grindavik and prompted the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.

The eruption began in the early afternoon, following a series of earthquakes north of the city ​​of 3,800 inhabitants which was largely evacuated in December when the volcano came to life after centuries of dormancy and gave an impressive display of the power of nature.

Although activity began to calm down in the early evening, initial estimates revealed that the eruption was the most vigorous in the area yet, as lava shot 50 meters (165 feet) into the sky from a fissure that grew to 3.5 kilometers (2.1 miles) in length, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said.

Barriers built to protect Grindavik diverted the lava flow that cut two of the three roads leading to the town and was close to reaching the third.

“It is a much larger volume that is moving towards the city at the moment,” Grindavik mayor Fannar Jónasson told national broadcaster RUV. “Lava has already conquered (a lot).”

Workers and anyone still in the city were ordered to leave early in the day, police said.

At one point, a dark cloud of ash rose over the crater due to an explosive interaction of magma that reached the groundwater, scientists said.

The cloud did not rise high enough to initially pose any threat to aviation, but scientists were closely monitoring the situation, Jóhanna Malen Skúladóttir of the Met Office told RUV.

Grindavik, which is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) southwest of Iceland’s capital Reykjavik, has been under threat since a swarm of earthquakes in November forced an evacuation before the initial eruption of December 18. A subsequent rash it subdued some defensive walls and consumed several buildings.

The area is part of the Svartsengi volcanic system which was dormant for almost 800 years before awakening.

The volcano erupted again in February and March. The Feb. 8 eruption swallowed a pipe, cutting off heat and hot water for thousands of people.

Iceland, which is above a volcanic hot spot in the North Atlantic, sees regular breakouts and has experience dealing with them. The most disturbing in recent times was the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010, which released huge clouds of ash into the atmosphere and led to the widespread closure of airspace in Europe.

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Associated Press writer Brian Melley contributed from London.