The lava flow engulfed a parking lot that could accommodate 350 cars as well as a service building used to store luggage for visitors to the Blue Lagoon, Iceland's main tourist attraction.
Iceland is once again the scene of a fire show. The Reykjanes peninsula, in the southwest of the country, has been experiencing its seventh volcanic eruption in a year since the night of Wednesday November 20 to Thursday November 21. Although the lava fortunately caused no casualties, it did however cover the parking lot of the Blu Lagoon spa, the country's main tourist site, on Thursday.
In the images published by the Icelandic media, we can see a flow of black and orange lava covering the area which once served as a parking lot for 350 cars as well as a space for coaches. A service building used to store visitors' luggage was also engulfed by lava.
There appeared to be no immediate threat to the hot pools, however, as the lava was held back by a protective wall.
Around fifty houses evacuated
Blue Lagoon manager Helga Arnadottir told the Morgunbladid daily that she did not know when the site would be able to reopen to visitors. “The authorities are currently assessing the situation,” she said.
According to the Associated Press, the lava also reached the pipeline carrying hot water needed to heat the Reykjanes peninsula, the Icelandic weather service said, but these pipes are designed to withstand lava.
The eruption, “smaller than the previous one” dating from August according to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, began on Wednesday at 11:14 p.m. local time (Thursday 12:14 a.m. French time). It caused a crack a little less than three kilometers long and prompted civil protection to evacuate around fifty houses in the fishing village of Grindavik as well as visitors to the Blue Lagoon.
Most of Grindavík's 4,000 residents had been evacuated a year ago, shortly before the first volcanic eruption in the region. Since then, almost all the houses have been sold to the State and almost all the residents have left.
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