Residents return to Iceland town as volcano eruption peters out

REYKJAVIK — Evacuated residents of the Icelandic town of Grindavik returned on Thursday for daytime visits as a nearby volcanic eruption appeared to be petering out, though their hopes of spending Christmas at home were dashed.

The eruption, which began on Monday evening, opened a fissure in the ground about 4 kilometres long, spewing glowing fountains of orange lava into the sky only 3 kilometres from Grindavik.

By Thursday, the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said that during a surveillance flight “no volcanic activity was observed and it seems as though there is no activity in the craters”.

“The volcanic activity seems to have come to an end late last night or early [Thursday] morning,” it said.

“Despite that, it is possible that lava is flowing underneath the lava coat in lava tubes and therefore it is not possible to say that the eruption is over.”

Late Wednesday, the IMO had said the likelihood of a new eruption forming without warning near Grindavik had decreased.

Authorities therefore allowed the town’s 4,000 residents access to the small fishing port between 7:00am and 4:00pm.

They were evacuated on November 11 after a series of earthquakes, considered a possible precursor to an eruption.

First responders were present in the town on Thursday in case an emergency evacuation was required.

Some returning residents were quick to get back to work, including the staff at fishing company Thorfish who rushed to save the catch caught just before the eruption.

“Now they are trying to pack it and prepare it so it won’t get damaged, and then clean up the whole place for Christmas,” Jon Emil, purchasing manager for Thorfish, told AFP outside the packing plant.

‘Very different’ Christmas 

Authorities still say it is unsafe to stay in the town overnight, and have informed residents they will not be able to return to stay in their homes before Christmas.

Bergsteinn Olafsson, a 59-year-old municipal worker from Grindavik, told AFP that Christmas this year would therefore be “different, very different”.

“But if you have your family, everything is ok.”

Some said they had no plans to return to their homes ever again.

Sigurdur Oli Porleifsson, a father of four who works in the fishing industry, said his house and those nearby were all set for demolition, due to cracks in their structure caused by the earthquake swarm in early November.

“All these houses are all tilting and they are cracked. They will all be demolished... they’re not repairable.”

But others said they had no choice but to return once authorities give the green light.

“We can’t pay a loan on the house and rent, it’s not possible. So we have to come back,” said 50-year-old former fisherman David Arnason.

“Nobody wants to buy our house, we can’t sell it,” he added.

But his family is not keen on living in Grindavik again due to the eruption risk.

“We never know what’s going to happen... It’s pretty frightening,” he said.

“My kids don’t want to come back. And my daughter has already found another place to live, she has a little boy.”

Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.

But until 2021, the Reykjanes Peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries.

Since then, eruptions have struck in 2021, 2022 and earlier this year — all in remote, uninhabited areas. Volcanologists say this could be the start of a new era of activity in the region.