Volcano’s lava flows across Spanish isle
LA LAGUNA, Spain — Giant rivers of lava tumbled slowly but relentlessly toward the sea Monday after a volcano erupted on a Spanish island off northwest Africa, with prompt evacuations helping to avoid casualties.
Long fingers of fiery red lava slid down hillsides with white smoke billowing from their leading edges as they swallowed up houses, gardens and swimming pools in a trail of destruction across the verdant countryside.
An incessant rumble came from the nearby Cumbre Vieja ridge where the eruption occurred Sunday when two fissures started belching bright red magma into the air and set the glowing lava rivers in motion.
Scientists had been monitoring the area on the island of Palma, in the volcanic Canary Islands, amid thousands of mostly small earthquakes, and authorities quickly evacuated about 5,500 people.
The lava was moving at 2,300 feet per hour, according to the Canary Islands Volcanology Institute. Officials said they expected it to reach the Atlantic Ocean around sunset, where it could cause explosions and produce clouds of acidic steam. Scientists measured the lava at more than 1,800 degrees.