A volcano in Iceland is erupting for the third time since December, spewing lava into the sky

A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted for the third time since December on Thursday, sending jets of lava into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa, one of the island nation’s biggest tourist attractions.

A volcano in southwestern Iceland erupted for the third time since December on Thursday, sending jets of lava into the sky and triggering the evacuation of the Blue Lagoon spa, one of the island nation’s biggest tourist attractions.

The eruption began at about 1 a.m. ET along a nearly two-mile fissure northeast of Mount Sundhnukur, the Icelandic Meteorological Office said. The site is about 2½ miles northeast of Grindavik, a coastal town of 3,800 people that was evacuated before a previous eruption on Dec. 18.

The Meteorological Office said that lava was flowing to the west and there was no immediate threat to Grindavik, or to a major power plant in the area. Civil defense officials said that no one was believed to be in the town at the time of the eruption.

“They weren’t meant to be, and we don’t know about any,” Víðir Reynisson, the head of Iceland’s Civil Defense, told Icelandic national broadcaster RUV.

Volcano watchers north of Grindavík, Iceland on Thursday.Marco Di Marco / APThe nearby Blue Lagoon thermal spa was closed when the eruption began and all the guests were safely evacuated, RUV said. A stream of steaming lava later spread across a road beside the spa.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/volcano-iceland-erupting-third-time-rcna137854

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