Lava engulfs homes in flames in Icelandic town.

Many houses in the Icelandic town of Grindavik were engulfed in flames after being surrounded by lava ( Video : Twitter/@bsteinbekk).

The volcano erupted near the town of Grindavik in southwestern Iceland, about 40km from the capital Reykjavík.

Grindavik was evacuated in November 2023 due to another volcanic eruption. Authorities then built a lava containment system in December 2023 to prevent damage to homes, but some barriers were breached.

Footage from a drone on January 14th showed the extent of the damage after two cracks appeared in the ground nearby, causing lava to erupt.

The eruption is currently only affecting the local area. All roads leading to Grindavik have been closed.

Dung nham nhấn chìm nhà dân trong biển lửa ở thị trấn Iceland - 1 — Location of the town of Grindavik (Graphic: BBC).

Other areas of the island are considered safe. According to the Icelandic Civil Protection Agency, Keflavik International Airport – the country's largest airport – is operating as normal.

The President of Iceland has confirmed that the eruption does not pose a threat to life.

On social media platform X, President Gudni Johannesson wrote on the morning of January 14th: "No one's life is in danger," but "infrastructure may be threatened."

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