One volcano exploded today at northwest Iceland for third time since December, launching lava in the air at a height of 80 meters and making everyday life difficult in Reykian Peninsula.

Fountains of orange magma rose from fissures in the ground and the river of lava crossed a road near the Blue Lagoon – a luxury geothermal spa, which was closed today because of the eruption.

The volume of lava also damaged water pipes in the region south of the capital, disrupting hot water supplies to more than 20,000 residents and prompting the Civil Protection Service to raise its emergency alert level.

In addition, the agency asked households and businesses to save on electricity consumption. Restoring hot water through an emergency pipeline, already under construction, could take days, it said.

Volcanic eruptions in the Reykjanes Peninsula are linear eruptions, which are usually not very large in size and do not cause significant ash dispersion in the stratosphere.

However, scientists fear it will continue for years, and Icelandic authorities have begun erecting dikes to divert rivers of lava away from homes and critical infrastructure.

The lava river is now flowing only about 1 kilometer from the geothermal power plant on the Schwarzengi Peninsula, said Rike Pedersen, who heads the research team at the Reykjavík-based Scandinavian Institute of Volcanology.

Protective levees were built in the area and workers attempted to fill small gaps along the road as the lava flowed.

“So they’re really doing everything they can to prevent the lava from reaching the power plant,” he pointed out.

The latest fissure from the eruption, the sixth in a row since 2021, is about 3 kilometers long, Iceland’s weather service said. The intense seismic activity started at 05.30 in the morning and the explosion occurred thirty minutes later.

A plume of smoke rose to a height of 3km, according to the Met Office. However, Reykjavik International Airport, about 20 kilometers from the rupture, is operating normally, according to airport operator Isavia.

The volcano’s previous eruption began on January 14 and lasted for about two days, with rivers of lava reaching the outskirts of the town of Grindavik, whose nearly 4,000 residents had fled their homes, engulfing some houses in flames.

Today’s eruption occurred farther from Grindavik and is unlikely to directly threaten the city, Icelandic geophysicist Ari Trausti Gudmundsson told Reuters.

Iceland’s president Gudni Johansson posted a photo on social media showing flames and smoke in the distance, noting that this was the view from his residence.

“As before, our thoughts are with the citizens of Grindavik, who cannot stay in their beautiful city. This too… shall pass,” Johannesson wrote.

Although they are downgrading the threat level of the volcanic system, authorities have warned of the possibility of further eruptions as the ground continues to rise in the region due to the accumulation of magma underground.

The Reykjanes Peninsula has six active volcanic systems and could see eruptions for decades or possibly centuries, Gudmundsson said.