Lava from volcanic eruption reaches Icelandic town, causing houses to catch fire
miranda bryant
For the second time in less than a month, a volcanic eruption has caused houses to catch fire in the fishing town of Grindavik in southwestern Iceland.
Increased seismic activity caused two fissures to appear near the town on Sunday, prompting authorities to evacuate local residents a day earlier.
The first eruption began at 8 a.m., when cracks appeared in the ground about 450 meters from the town. A protective wall of earth and rock forced lava out of the town through the first cracks. However, around noon, a second fissure opened on the outskirts of town, and by evening it had reached a depth of about 100 meters, engulfing houses in the lava.
At least three houses were involved in the fire, live footage from television broadcaster RUV showed.
Glowing orange jets of lava flowed out, and huge clouds of smoke rose against the dark sky.
“In a small village like this, we are like a family and everyone knows each other as family. It's a tragedy to see this,” said Svein Ali Gudjonsson, one of the locals. told Agence France-Presse. “It's unreal. It's like watching a movie,” added the 55-year-old fisherman.
Read the full text here.
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Two fissures formed near the town on Sunday after an increase in seismic activity that prompted authorities to evacuate the community the day before.
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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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At least three houses were engulfed by fire, live images from TV broadcaster RUV showed.
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Jets of glowing orange lava flowed out and a huge smoke cloud rose against the dark sky.
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“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.
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Read the full story here.
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Good morning and welcome back to the Europe blog.
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Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
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important events
in address to the nation Yesterday, the President of Iceland Guzny Th. Johannesson The country must “keep hope alive,” he said.
He said:
What we all hoped would never happen has come true. It turns out that lava is flowing into Grindavik. Grindavik is a prosperous town where people engaged in fishing and other occupations, made a living, and built a community in harmony with God and each other.
The President added:
We are in turmoil right now, but we must remain hopeful. In some cases, this hope may be based on faith.
Lava once spilled into Vestmannaeyjar and ash covered the area. However, the lichgate of the church there did not burn. The words “I live, and so shall you live” were posted on the gate and remain to this day.
But our hope may also be based on reason, scientific knowledge, and our ability to stay one step ahead of the forces of nature, even if this is not the case.
“What angered the gods when lava poured out where we are standing now?” That was the answer given by Chieftain Snorri Thorgrímsson when it was claimed that he had shown anger.
people of iceland. Since then, generations of us have overcome many hardships and enjoyed the blessings of this wonderful and beautiful country.
We now wait, hope, and accept that things will happen. And now all plans for our future must take into account that a period of daunting upheaval has begun on the Reykjanes Peninsula.
Today's dramatic front page from the Icelandic daily Morgunbrazis.
This is a photo from Iceland yesterday.
Lava from volcanic eruption reaches Icelandic town, causing houses to catch fire
miranda bryant
For the second time in less than a month, a volcanic eruption has caused houses to catch fire in the fishing town of Grindavik in southwestern Iceland.
Increased seismic activity caused two fissures to appear near the town on Sunday, prompting authorities to evacuate local residents a day earlier.
The first eruption began at 8 a.m., when cracks appeared in the ground about 450 meters from the town. A protective wall of earth and rock forced lava out of the town through the first cracks. However, around noon, a second fissure opened on the outskirts of town, and by evening it had reached a depth of about 100 meters, engulfing houses in the lava.
At least three houses were involved in the fire, live footage from television broadcaster RUV showed.
Glowing orange jets of lava flowed out, and huge clouds of smoke rose against the dark sky.
“In a small village like this, we are like a family and everyone knows each other as family. It's a tragedy to see this,” said Svein Ali Gudjonsson, one of the locals. told Agence France-Presse. “It's unreal. It's like watching a movie,” added the 55-year-old fisherman.
Read the full text here.
welcome to the blog
good morning. Welcome to the European blog.
Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.
