A volcano erupted on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma on Sunday, spewing lava into the air and into rivers toward houses and villages on the island, per Reuters.
- Close to 5,000 people were evacuated because of the lava. Per ABC News, there were no injuries to anyone in the area reported yet.
- About 100 houses were destroyed from the lava.
Canary Islands government chief Ángel Víctor Torres told SER radio that there likely won’t be another eruption.
- “We’re not expecting any other eruption,” Torres said, per ABC News.
- “There will be considerable material damage,” he said. “We hope there won’t be any personal injuries.”
At around 3:15 p.m. local time, the volcano erupted. According to The New York Times, the blast sent “lava into the air” and “fiery rivers of molten lava down its sides.”
- “Scientists had warned an eruption was imminent following days of increased seismic activity in the area, including a magnitude 3.8 earthquake,” per The New York Times.
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La Palma is the smallest of the Canary Islands, which has about 85,000 residents. The volcano last erupted in 1971, according to The New York Times. That eruption killed one person, who died from inhaling toxic gases while on the island.