Grindavik was largely evacuated in December when the volcano came to life after centuries of dormancy.
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 led to the evacuation of the popular Blue Lagoon geothermal spa.
“It’s a much larger volume that’s on the move right now headed for town,” Grindavik Mayor Fannar Jónasson told national broadcaster RUV. “The lava has already conquered .”Workers and anyone still in town were ordered to leave earlier in the day, police said. The Blue Lagoon thermal spa — one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions — was evacuated before the eruption began, RUV said.
At one point, a dark plume of ash boiled up over the crater from an explosive interaction of magma hitting 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 southwest of Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, has been threatened since a swarm of earthquakes in November forced an evacuation in advance ofThe volcano erupted again in February and March. The Feb. 8 eruption engulfed a pipeline, cutting off heat and hot water to thousands of people., sees regular eruptions and is experienced at dealing with them.
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