The eruption, which began in the morning to the south of Iceland's capital of Reykjavik, was seen on video spewing lava and smoke. The fissure of the volcanic eruption had broken through protective barriers around the town of Grindavik, and had reached 1,200 meters, or nearly 4,000 feet, in length.

A volcano began erupting in southwestern Iceland on Tuesday, just hours after authorities evacuated a nearby community and a geothermal spa, one of Iceland’s biggest tourist attractions. Flames and smoke shot through the air as the volcanic fissure opened near the town of Grindavik,

The magma flow began at about 6:30 a.m. local time (0630 GMT) accompanied by an intense earthquake storm similar to previous eruptions.