Lava blocks the size of buildings falling from La Palma volcano

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LA PALMA – Blocks of molten lava as large as three-story buildings rolled down a hillside on the Spanish island of La Palma on Sunday as a series of tremors shook the ground three weeks after the volcano erupted.

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On Sunday there were 21 seismic movements, the highest of 3.8, reported the National Geological Institute of Spain (ING), shaking the ground in the towns of Mazo, Fuencaliente and El Paso.

Blocks of red-hot magma flowing down the slope of the Cumbre Vieja volcano were the size of three-story buildings, the Spanish Institute of Geology and Mining said.

Starting Monday, members of the Spanish Navy will help clean up the volcanic ash that covers much of the island, Defense Minister Margarita Robles said during a visit Sunday.

The lava flow, with temperatures of up to 1,240 degrees Celsius (2,264 degrees Fahrenheit), destroyed the last remaining buildings in the town of Todoque, the Canary Islands Institute of Volcanology said on Twitter.

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There was a partial collapse of the cone near the volcano’s emission vent on Saturday, Stavros Meletlidis, an ING spokesman, told Reuters.

“The collapse of the north flank of the Cumbre Vieja volcano has caused the release of large blocks of material and the appearance of new flows that run through areas already evacuated,” tweeted the Department of National Security of Spain.

“The lava has reached the Camino de la Gata industrial park and new constructions.”

Rivers of lava have destroyed 1,186 buildings since the Sept. 19 eruption, the Canary Islands Volcanic Institute said.

The lava has swallowed up 493 hectares (1,218 acres) of land, said Miguel Ángel Morcuende, technical director of the Canary Islands Volcanic Emergency Plan (Pevolca).

About 6,000 people have been evacuated from their homes on La Palma, which has about 83,000 inhabitants.

Lightning was seen near the eruption on Saturday morning. A study published in 2016 by the journal Geophysical Research Letters found that lightning can be produced during volcanic eruptions because the collision of ash particles creates an electrical charge.