Iceland volcano erupts as fountains of lava create fiery spectacle

Jets of lava shot up into the air as Iceland's Svartsengi volcano erupted on Thursday night for the sixth time since December.

Geysers of fiery orange lava illuminated the night sky in southwestern Iceland on Thursday as a new fissure opened in the Svartsengi volcano.

Thursday's eruption was the sixth time the volcano has spewed lava since December, and people across the area flocked to the scene, including tourists hoping to see a different bucket-list phenomenon.

“We just thought that it was the northern lights,” said Mahnoor Ali. According to The Associated Press, Ali was visiting from Maryland. “It’s like the coolest thing I’ve seen in my whole life, honestly.”

The eruption prompted road closures in the area but is not threatening any towns or cities. Grindavik is the closest town to the volcano, situated only 1.9 miles (3 km) from the eruption, but officials say the town is currently safe.

“Of course, we don’t know what will happen in the near future, but it is likely that this has reached its peak and then it will start to subside like the other eruptions," geophysicist Magnús Tuma Guðmundsson said, according to the AP.