A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted again on Wednesday, live video from the area showed, making it the fifth outbreak since December.
The new outburst happened as another eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula recently ended after spewing fountains of molten rock for almost eight weeks.
Authorities had warned of the risk of renewed volcanic activity in the area just south of the capital Reykjavik as studies showed magma accumulated underground.
Lava is gushing to a height of at least 50 metres from a rift that appears to be about one kilometre long, according to the Met Office. The activity started at 12.46pm local time on Wednesday in an area north of the fishing town of Grindavik. A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to gather more information.
The fiery spectacle underlines the challenges the island nation of almost 400,000 people face as scientists have warned eruptions could happen over and over in Reykjanes for decades or even centuries.
The eruption was the eighth on the peninsula, home to some 30,000 people, since 2021 when geological systems that were dormant for some 800 years again became active.
Previous incidents had disrupted district heating, closed key roads and even razed several houses in Grindavik, where only a few residents have since returned.
Still, as many as 30 houses have remained occupied as authorities have intermittently allowed residents back into the town, evacuating them when danger appeared imminent. The town was again cleared on Wednesday.
“The magma intrusion is moving closer to the town of Grindavik,” the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said.
As many as 200 workers have also been present in Grindavik, mainly in the harbour, according to the police.
In an attempt to prevent further damage, man-made barriers have been built to steer lava away from infrastructure including the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, the Blue Lagoon outdoor spa and Grindavik.
Icelanders often refer to their country as the “Land of Fire and Ice” as a tribute to its otherworldly landscape forged by glaciers and volcanoes which is positioned between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates, making it a seismic hotbed.
While a 2010 eruption in a different part of Iceland grounded some 100,000 flights internationally due to huge ash clouds, Reykjanes is typically home to fissure outbreaks that do not reach into the stratosphere and flights are not affected.