Lava flowing from Cumbre Vieja, an erupting volcano on the Spanish island of La Palma, reached the sea last night, spreading outward and expanding the area of the island by several hundred acres. Residents who had not already evacuated were told to shelter indoors to avoid any potential poisonous gases that might be formed as the lava interacts with seawater. Cumbre Vieja has been erupting since September 19, and officials warn that it could continue for several months, based on previous eruptions. So far, hundreds of houses and large portions of several banana plantations have been destroyed.
Photos: Lava Reaches the Sea on the Island of La Palma
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![Pigeons fly in front of a fountain of erupting lava.]()
Read morePigeons fly in front of erupting lava on the Canary Island of La Palma, in El Paso, Spain, on September 28, 2021. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
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![A night view of the lights of houses near a long flow of glowing lava.]()
Read moreLava from a volcano reaches the sea on the island of La Palma on September 29, 2021. #
Saul Santos / AP -
![An eruption is seen through the window of a kitchen.]()
Read moreThe eruption is seen through the window of a kitchen in El Paso on September 28, 2021. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
![Lava flows among houses on a hillside.]()
Read moreLava flows among houses in El Paso on September 23, 2021. #
Emilio Morenatti / Reuters -
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![A combination of two photos showing the growth of a volcanic cone around an eruption.]()
Read moreThis combination of pictures shows the buildup of lava expelled by the Cumbre Vieja volcano, first seen on September 19, 2021, the day it began erupting (left), and the same scene seen days later, on September 25, 2021, viewed from Los Llanos de Aridane. #
Desiree Martin / AFP / Getty -
![A large wall of rocky lava approaches several houses.]()
Read moreLava flows near houses on the island of La Palma on September 22, 2021. #
Emilio Morenatti / AP -
![A drone view of a lone house, surrounded by lava, but spared from destruction]()
Read moreA drone view of a lone house spared from the lava flow on La Palma, seen on September 21, 2021 #
Alfonso Escalero / I Love The World / Reuters -
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![Lava erupts into an ash-darkened sky.]()
Read moreMount Cumbre Vieja continues to erupt in El Paso on September 22, 2021. #
Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![A man sweeps ash from pavement in front of a house.]()
Read moreResident Gert Waegerle, 75, who evacuated a week ago, cleans the ash-covered entrance to his house after returning to Tacande de Arriba on September 27, 2021. #
Jon Nazca / Reuters -
![A child's bicycle sits partially buried in volcanic ash.]()
Read moreA child's bicycle sits buried in volcanic ash in El Paso on September 24, 2021. #
Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![A person harvests sweet potatoes in a garden in view of an erupting volcano.]()
Read moreJorge, a farmer from La Palma, harvests sweet potatoes, the only undamaged produce from his ash-covered plot of land, as ash from the Cumbre Vieja volcano rises in the sky in Los Llanos de Aridane on September 25, 2021. #
Desiree Martin / AFP / Getty -
![People sweep ash from a street.]()
Read moreResidents clean ash from the street in Santa Cruz de la Palma on September 27, 2021. #
Saul Santos / AP -
![A night view of the eruption, with lava flowing downhill.]()
Read moreA night view of the eruption, seen from Todoque, on September 27, 2021 #
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![Two people take measurements near a lava flow at night.]()
Read moreMilitary Emergencies Unit personnel take gas measurements near a lava flow on September 28, 2021. #
Luismi Ortiz / UME / AP -
![An emergency worker walks near a lava flow, on an ash-covered street.]()
Read moreAn emergency worker walks near a lava flow in El Paso on September 24, 2021. #
Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![An eruption is seen beyond the lights of a small town at night.]()
Read moreMount Cumbre Vieja continues to erupt, as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane, on September 24, 2021. #
Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
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![Lava flows over a steep ledge into the ocean, seen at night.]()
Read moreLava from Cumbre Vieja reaches the sea on the island of La Palma, Spain, seen in the early hours of September 29, 2021. #
Saul Santos / AP -
![Steam rises as lava flows into the ocean.]()
Read moreLava flows into the Atlantic Ocean at Los Guirres beach in Tazacorte early on September 30, 2021. #
Sunsets Sweden / AFP / Getty -
![Several people stand together watching a an eruption on a distant slope.]()
Read moreResidents look from a hill as Cumbre Vieja continues to erupt on September 24, 2021. #
Emilio Morenatti / AP -
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![Piles of volcanic rock, part of a lava flow, sit among houses and streets.]()
Read moreLava flows through El Paso, on the Canary Island of La Palma, on September 23, 2021. #
Emilio Morenatti / Reuters -
![A woman sits atop a pile of belongings in the back of a truck.]()
Read moreA woman sits atop a pile of hastily packed belongings during an evacuation process in El Paso on September 21, 2021. #
Andres Gutierrez / Anadolu Agency / Getty -
![Lava spews into the air from a volcanic fissure.]()
Read moreCumbre Vieja spews lava and ash into the air, as seen from Los Llanos de Aridane on September 25, 2021. #
Desiree Martin / AFP / Getty -
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