The small fishing village of Grindavík in Iceland, currently, is a ghost town: its habitants evacuated under a state of emergency in November 2023 after extreme seismic activity was recorded by seismologists and scientists monitoring the Fagradalsfjall Volcano; resulting in a major eruption on December 18th, 2023. The eruption was so strong, that Iceland’s capital, Reykjavík, could see the lava shooting into the sky, at least 330 feet in height.
Shortly after the town was evacuated, and the volcanic site was closed off to the public, a second eruption on January 14th, and a third on February 8, 2024, occurred.
By March 14th, the Fagradalsfjall Volcano had erupted for the fourth time in three months, only this eruption lasted until May 8th. The fifth eruption occurred 21 days later, on May 29th, lasting for nearly one month before it ended on June 22, 2024. Since that date, there have been no further eruptions, however, there is seismic activity continuously being detected.
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Fagradalsfjall Volcano Became Popular With Tourists in 2021 Due to Its Six-Month Nonstop Eruption Lighting up the Sky
The Fagradalsfjall volcano laid dormant for nearly 6,000 years, when suddenly, in 2021, the volcano erupted, and it continued erupting for six consecutive months, prompting its site to become the “tourism-volcano.”
With its proximity to the town of Grindavík, a short distance of 7.5 miles, tourists came flocking to watch the awe-inspiring spectacle that nature was unleashing, unbeknownst that two years later, Fagradalsfjall would erupt again, chasing the residents out of its town permanently.
When the volcanic site erupted in December 2023, a 2.5-mile wall of lava nearly reached the small town, however, the January 2024 eruption did reach it, destroying homes under its molten lava. Drone footage of the volcano erupting in June 2021 (video attached), shows the complex network of fissures and lava flowing: a truly breathtaking and dangerous view of nature’s volatility.
The once chaotic tourist area that drew millions of people to its small town because of its volcano, hit the pause button rapidly, putting an end to tourists coming anywhere near the volcanic site or the town for that matter.
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A Reluctant Reopening Heeds Harsh Warnings From Local Officials and Authorities
On October 1st, 2024, the decision to reopen the desolate town of Grindavík, along with its volcanic site, came to fruition. But it came with reluctance and a harsh warning from local officials and authorities for tourists eager to get up close and personal with the volcano again.
The Chief of Police in Suðurnes, emphasized in an announcement that “Anyone entering hazardous areas does so at their own risk, and that Grindavík is not a safe environment for children. Everyone is responsible for their own actions or inactions.”
The small town and volcanic site have already witnessed a steady stream of tourists anxious to see the volcano since its reopening four weeks ago; many of whom are far too obsessed with it, and getting uncomfortably close to its fiery lava; their careless behavior raising concerns with safety specialists.
“We have some people, mostly foreigners, running across fresh lava, so to speak, and going very close to the crater. If something happens, no one will come and get you,” said the board’s safety specialist, Dagbjartur Brynjarsson.