Terrified families given just hours to flee burning lava after volcano eruption

An erupting volcano in Las Palma, in the Spanish Canary Islands, has forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed everything it has touched – families have been forced to flee their homes

Families were forced to flee with notice of just hours as an erupting volcano on La Palma continued its path of devastation in the Spanish Canary Island.

More than 6,000 people have been forced to evacuate and hundreds of homes destroyed since the eruption of Cumbre Vieja which began spewing lava on Sunday.

The volcano, the first that has erupted in Spain since 1971, sent fountains of lava shooting hundreds of metres into the sky and streaming in rivers towards villages and towards the sea.

No casualties have been reported as yet but the volcano has laid waste to everything it has touched, as it continues to spew out between 6,000 and 9,000 tonnes of sulfur dioxide each day.

The UK has advised British holidaymakers in the area to follow the advice of local authorities.

In Todoque, all 1,200 residents were ordered to leave their homes immediately as lava headed straight towards the town at a speed of 200 metres per hour.

Residents were given a two-hour window by emergency workers to save what they could from their homes.

Firefighters and emergency services have described stopping the huge wall of lava as an “impossibility” as it continues its journey towards the sea.

A Consortium spokesperson said: “The reality that we are witnessing every day as we perform our functions as firefighters on the island of La Palma is harsh and it is difficult for us to assume the impossibility of stopping what nature executes slowly.

“We will continue working in such a situation with churned stomachs, hoping that the damage will be as minor as possible.”

Authorities have warned that the lava could trigger a chemical reaction that causes explosions and clouds of toxic gases when it reaches the sea.

As the 1,000C lava cools rapidly, the reaction could result in acid rain, structural damage, and land destruction that could endanger the health of locals.

An exclusion zone of two nautical miles in the sea where the lava is heading has been established, in order to “to prevent onlookers on boats and prevent the gases from affecting people”, the president of the island’s council, Mariano Hernández, said.

Mr Hernández described the scenes as “devastating”, adding that the lava “is literally eating up the houses, infrastructure and crops that it is finding on its path toward the coast in the valley of Aridane”.

One local resident told local television news: “For journalists it is something spectacular, for us it is a tragedy. I think the lava has reached some relatives’ houses.”

“I was 5 years old when the volcano last erupted (in 1971). You never get over a volcanic eruption,” she continued.

On Monday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that “the whole of Spain is with La Palma”, adding that “all of the resources of the state” will be made available for the residents of La Palma.

Experts fear the eruption could continue for weeks to come with up to 10,000 people evacuated in the coming days.

Mandatory evacuation orders for four villages, including El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane, have been executed and temporary shelters have been set up.

On Monday, the UK government said: “On Sunday 19 September 2021, at approximately 15.15 local time, there was a volcanic eruption on the Spanish Canary Island of La Palma.

“The immediate area of Cabeza de Vaca, El Paso has been evacuated.”If you are in an affected area you should follow the advice of local authorities, including social media updates from Cabildo de La Palma.

“If you are planning to travel to the island imminently you are encouraged to contact your tour operators and airlines.”