Volcano Iceland: Horrifying video shows huge amounts of scorching lava spewing out after volcano eruption

A volcano in Iceland has erupted, setting houses on fire and cutting off main roads. The eruption of the volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula started in the early hours of Sunday (14 January) spilling lava into the fishing town of Grindavik. 

A first eruption began at 8am when a crack opened in the ground about 450 metres from the town. Protective barriers of earth and rock pushed lava from the first fissure away from the town. However, a second crack then opened around midday on the edge of town with that lava engulfing the homes.

Hours after local residents were evacuated and the main road into the town was cut off due to the flow of lava. Videos show the dramatic scenes of the lava spewing out and heading towards the town of Grindavik. 

Addressing the nation in a live broadcast on Sunday evening, Iceland's President Gudni Johannesson urged people to "stand together and have compassion for those who cannot be in their homes". He said he hoped the situation would calm down, but that "anything can happen", the AFP news agency reported.

Defences that were built after an eruption in December have partially contained the lava but some have been breached. This is Iceland's fifth volcanic eruption in almost three years. The most recent occurred on 18 December 18 in the same region, southwest of the capital Reykjavik.

The country's alert level has been raised to "emergency" - the highest of the three-level scale which signals there could be a threat of harm to people, communities, property or the environment. Iceland sits over what's known as the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the boundary between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates and it has 33 active volcano systems.