Evacuations Ordered in Iceland After Volcano Erupts Again

The same volcano that has erupted 3 previous times this year has started up again. Near Grindavik, the volcano started erupting late Saturday night. The Icelandic Met Office said a 2.9 km (1.8 mile) fissure formed between Mount Hagafell and Mount Stora Skogfell.

The Met Office mentioned that the activity has waned noticeably over the past 24 hours but at times the lava was reaching speeds of one kilometer per hour (that's a little over half a mile per hour). While the pace of the lava has slowed considerably, if it makes it to the sea and rapidly cools, it could lead to some potentially hazardous gases. The Icelandic Met Office does not believe this is a likely outcome unless something changes.

A state of emergency was declared for the southern portion of the peninsula on Saturday, with "hundreds" evacuated from the Blue Lagoon thermal spa.