Photos: Iceland volcano erupts, lava flow crawls toward town

A volcano erupted in southwest Iceland on Sunday, posing an immediate threat to a nearby small fishing town although it had been evacuated earlier and no people were in danger, authorities said.

Lava explosions and billowing smoke are seen near residential buildings in the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik after a volcanic eruption.

Lava explosions and billowing smoke are seen near residential buildings in the southwestern Icelandic town of Grindavik after a volcanic eruption.

Early-morning video footage from the site showed fountains of molten rock spewing from fissures in the ground, the bright orange lava flow glowing against the dark sky.

The eruption began early on Sunday north of the town of Grindavik, which the previous day had been evacuated for the second time in a month over fears that an outbreak was imminent amid a swarm of seismic activity, authorities said.

Authorities have been building barriers of earth and rock in recent weeks to try to prevent lava from reaching Grindavik, some 40 km (25 miles) southwest of the capital Reykjavik, but the latest eruption appeared to have penetrated the town's defences.

Lava was flowing towards the town and had come within an estimated 450 metres (1,500 feet), the IMO said.

Based on flow models, it could take the lava a few hours to reach Grindavik if it continued to flow towards the town, an IMO spokesperson told public broadcaster RUV.