Firefighters on La Palma Assess Miles-Wide Lava Flow 'Overtaking' Neighborhood

The Cumbre Vieja volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, which began erupting on September 19, was still spewing lava more than one month after its first eruption.

Video shared by Gran Canaria firefighters shows the scene from the neighborhood of La Laguna on Wednesday. In Spanish, firefighters wrote that the situation was “overtaking us,” and that “nothing could prepare you” to face the effects of the eruption.

A 4.8-magnitude tremor – the most powerful since the volcano’s first eruption – hit La Palma on Tuesday night, Spain’s Institute of Geosciences (CSIC-UCM) said.

Copernicus EMS estimated the lava flow to be more than 811 hectares (approximately 3.1 square miles) in size as of October 19.

The Canary Islands Volcanology Institute (Involcan) reported a new eruption at 7:45 pm local time on Wednesday. Credit: Bomberos Gran Canaria via Storyful