Stay-home order lifted for residents near La Palma volcano eruption

The Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on the Canary Island of La Palma, as seen from Tacande, Spain, October 2, 2021. REUTERS/Borja Suarez

LA PALMA, Spain — Authorities advised people to limit time outdoors in parts of La Palma on Saturday as the erupting volcano on the Spanish island spewed red-hot lava and thick clouds of black smoke.

However emergency services lifted a stay-home order that had been in effect in Los Llanos de Aridane, El Paso and areas of Tazacorte, places near the volcano that had been affected by poor air quality.

“In response to the improvement in air quality measurements in the area, the lockdown in Tazacorte, El Paso and Los Llanos de Aridane will be lifted,” the services said in a statement.

They advised people to continue to avoid spending a “prolonged amount of time” outside, and said vulnerable groups including children and the elderly should remain indoors.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano began its fiery eruption on Sept. 19 and has destroyed more than 800 buildings. About 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes on the island, which has a population of about 83,000 and is one of an archipelago making up the Canary Islands in the Atlantic.

On Friday, lava flowed from a new vent in the volcano, which the Canaries Volcanology Institute described as a new “focus of eruption”.

The volcano was experiencing “intense activity”, Miguel Angel Morcuende, director of the Pevolca response committee, told a news conference on Friday. But he also put the eruption into the context of the wider island.

“Less than 8% of the island is affected by the volcano. The rest is leading a normal life,” he said.