Iceland volcano eruption: Blue Lagoon spa evacuated, Grindavik spared as new fissure forms

The Blue Lagoon, a geothermal spa that is one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions, was evacuated on Thursday, after a volcano in the country’s southwestern region erupted. “There was definitely a sense of urgency as we were trying to get out of there,” said Dennis Murphy, a tourist visiting the spa. “It was calm, but it was definitely rushed. They had an agenda and they must have been told by the government, ’get everybody out of wherever you are within the next 10 minutes or so,’ because there was no messing around.” This is the sixth time since December that the volcano on the Reykjanes Peninsula has erupted. The eruption forced road closures, but the lava is not flowing toward the town of Grindavik. Grindavik was largely evacuated in December when the volcano came to life after being dormant for 800 years. The few people who had returned were forced out again Thursday as the volcano blew plumes of toxic gas over the town. For more info, please go to https