BUT ONCE THAT BUT ONCE THAT MOLTEN HOT LAVA STARTS RUNNING AND STARTS MOVING, IT BECOMES IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP THIS MORNING, STUNNING AERIAL IMAGES FROM SOUTHWESTERN ICELAND CAPTURING A LATE-NIGHT ERUPTION SPEWING SEARING HOT LAVA FROM VOLCANIC FISSURES IT COMES AFTER WEEKS OF ANTICIPATION AND EARTH QUAKING SEISMIC ACTIVITY
OFFICIALS SAY THE ERUPTIONS NORTHEAST IN A FISHING VIL BROUGHT ON BY A SWARM OF EARTHQUAKES MONDAY NIGHT BEGINNING NORTHEAST IN A FISHING VILLAGE WHERE A STATE OF EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED LAST MONTH. THE ENTIRE POPULATION OF 4,000 PEOPLE EVACUATED AS A PRECAUTION IT IS THE FOURTH VOLCANIC
ERUPTION IN TWO YEARS AND THE LARGEST SO FAR, WITH AN INITIAL FISSURE OPENING SPANNING 3 MILES AND LAVA SHOOTING OVER SOME 300 FEET INTO THE AIR. >> IT IS JUST FASCINATING TO SEE JUST NATURE IN ACTION. I JUST — IT’S JUST LIKE SOMETHING FROM A MOVIE
>> Reporter: THE ICELANDIC COAST GUARD SURVEYING THE AREA OVERNIGHT. TO CONFIRM THE EXACT SIZE AND LOCATION PASSENGERS AT ONE OF ICELAND’S MAIN AIRPORT JUST 16 MILES AWAY REACTING AUTHORITIES HAVE RAISED THE COUNTRY’S AVIATION ALERT LEVEL BECAUSE VOLCANIC ASH CAN POSE A RISK TO ENGINES ON PASSENGER
PLANES, SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED WHEN ANOTHER VOLCANO ERUPTED IN ICELAND BACK IN 2010 CREATING AN ASH CLOUD THAT GROUNDED AIR TRAVEL IN EUROPE FOR MORE THAN A WEEK MONDAY’S ERUPTION FOLLOW THE SEISMIC ACTIVITY SPURRED THOUSANDS OF EARTHQUAKES, PROMPTING THE CLOSURE OF THE ICONIC BLUE LAGOON NOW OFFICIALS ARE STRESSING
VIGILANCE AND CAUTION AS THE REGION WAITS ON MOTHER NATURE TO RUN ITS COURSE NOW, BIG PICTURE, ERUPTIONS ARE UNPREDICTABLE. ICELANDIC OFFICIALS SAY THE LAVA FOUNTAINS HUNDREDS OF FEET OVERNIGHT OVERNIGHT ARE DOWN TO ABOUT 100 FEET FLIGHT SCHEDULES ARE RUNNING ON TIME THAT MEANS NO DISRUPTIONS AT