Life after lava

Icelanders are famously hardy, but after a series of volcanic eruptions set houses alight and opened up 20-metre-deep fissures in Grindavík, the fishing town near the famous Blue Lagoon, residents are asking if they'll ever be allowed back home

- Miranda Bryant

AFTER FOUR WEEKS OF INCESSANT seismic activity disrupting their sleep, a certain loopiness began to take hold of the longsuffering residents of Grindavík. By 10 November 2023, many people had left this small fishing town on the south-west coast of Iceland. Plenty more, though, went about their Friday night plans as usual. Oblivious to the scale of the volcanic timebomb ticking under their home, Brynhildur Blomsterberg, 58, and her partner, Ólafur Sigurpálsson, 75, were preparing to host their joint birthday party and were expecting 20 guests.

"We had hundreds of lamb chops to get ready," says Blomsterberg, a nurse. "We were frying and the town was just shaking." When, at about midday on Friday, she called Sigurpálsson to suggest they move the celebrations out of Grindavík, the former sailor and fish exporter said no, reassuring her it would die down. There was an element of business-as-usual: Grindavík had experienced regular earthquakes since 2020, and three volcanic eruptions in as many years. Sure enough, 12 guests made it to their house, just as parts of the town started cracking open, including the main street. Some of the fissures were 20 metres deep.