Iceland Volcano Spews Lava From 2-Mile Fissure

Iceland's famous Blue Lagoon spa was evacuated once again Wednesday as a volcano erupted, spewing a wall of lava 165 feet upward from a long fissure. Deutsche Welle reports that around 750 visitors were at the geothermal spa when a state of emergency was declared. The few residents that had returned to the nearby town of Grindavik since an initial eruption in December were also evacuated, the BBC reports. Authorities said there was "intense earthquake activity" before the eruption began. The volcano is also spewing clouds of ash, but authorities say air travel is unlikely to be affected.

According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, a fissure more than 2 miles long has opened and one end of it is close to lava barriers north of Grindavik, a fishing village that had around 4,000 residents before the long-dormant Svartsengi volcanic system became active again. This is the volcano's fifth eruption since December, the AP reports. (More Iceland volcano stories.)