Iceland's Reykjanes peninsula struck by new volcanic eruption: Lava flow leaves region without hot water

The eruption started on the Reykjanes Peninsula in Iceland around 7 a.m. GMT on Thursday. The lava flow hit Grindavikurvegur road, which leads to the town of Grindavik, sooner than expected.

A video released by the National Broadcasting Service RUV, provides a harrowing view of the flaming flow crossing the road at the turn to the well-known local spa and the Blue Lagoon, "devouring" its surface.

"We are keeping a close eye on the situation. The fissure is approximately 3 kilometres long and extends from Sundhnúk to the eastern tip of Stóra-Skógfell," reported the Road Administration (Vegagerðin) around midday, including a photo of the lava stream.

The lava reached a warm water pipeline which serves the whole Suðurnes region. At around 12:30 p.m. GMT, according to RUV, hot water was forecasted to only remain available for the following hour - there's a chance that its supply will be rebooted tomorrow. The district authorities declared a state of emergency and implored locals to save the valuable resource.

This is already the sixth volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes peninsula since 2021. The previous one happened in the middle of January. It lasted for two days, and the lava from the volcano headed towards Grindavik. Residents were temporarily relocated, and the nearby tourist destination - the Blue Lagoon pool and access routes were also closed off.

Source: RUV, PAP, Vegagerðin