Just days after the spectacular volcanic eruption in Iceland, residents of the evacuated town of Grindavik can now return to their homes overnight. And they can also celebrate Christmas there, as Icelandic broadcaster RUV reported last night, citing the police. The risk is acceptable, said local police chief Ulfar Luoviksson. However, he doubts many people vacation there.
The Icelandic Civil Defense had already announced that the public safety level would be reduced from the emergency level to the danger level. At this point, RUV's live feeds no longer showed bright red lava in the snowy area. However, the Icelandic Meteorological Office has so far considered it premature to declare the eruption over.
The volcanic eruption began on Monday night on the Reykjanes Peninsula, southwest of the capital Reykjavik. It was the fourth on the peninsula in three years, lava bubbled from a kilometer-long fissure in the earth. As the week progressed, the intensity of the eruption continued to decrease. Since Thursday, residents of Grindavik, a few kilometers south of the lava field, have been allowed to return to their homes, at least during the day.