REYKJAVIK, Iceland– Evacuated residents of the town of Grindavik in Iceland began returning Thursday for daytime visits as the volcano decreased in intensity, though their hopes of spending Christmas at home were dashed.
The eruption, which began on Monday evening, opened a fissure in the ground about four kilometres (2.5 miles) long, spewing glowing fountains of orange lava into the sky only three kilometres from Grindavik.
By Thursday, the eruption had declined in intensity and on live video feeds the lava flow could no longer be seen.
"The likelihood of a new eruption forming without warning near Grindavik has decreased," the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) said late Wednesday.
But it said the "hazard level in that area is nevertheless considered substantial" as "the magma can reach the surface quickly, leaving little time to issue warnings".
Authorities therefore allowed Grindavik's 4,000 residents access to the small fishing port between 7:00 am and 4:00 pm.
They were evacuated on November 11 after a series of earthquakes, considered a possible precursor to an eruption.
First responders were present in the town on Thursday in case an emergency evacuation was required.
Streets of the town were still largely empty on Thursday morning, with Christmas decorations the only lights coming from the abandoned houses, according to an AFP correspondent at the scene.
But some residents were quick to get back to work, including the staff at fishing company Thorfish who rushed to save the catch caught just before the eruption.
"Now they are trying to pack it and prepare it so it won't get damaged, and then clean up the whole place for Christmas," Jon Emil, purchasing manager for Thorfish, told AFP outside the packing plant.
- 'Very different' Christmas -
Authorities still say it is unsafe to stay in the town overnight, and on Wednesday they said residents would not be able to return to stay in their homes before Christmas.
Bergsteinn Olafsson, a 59-year-old municipal worker from Grindavik, told AFP that Christmas this year would therefore be "different, very different".
"But if you have your family, everything is ok."
In an update early Thursday, the IMO said the "power of the eruption has decreased with time as well as the seismicity and deformation".
It said just one crater showed activity overnight.
Volcanic eruptions are common in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe.
But until 2021, the Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries.
Since then, eruptions have struck in 2021, 2022 and earlier this year -- all in remote, uninhabited areas. Volcanologists say this could be the start of a new era of activity in the region.