Lava cooler braces for the next eruption

Lava reaching the edge of Grindavik, Iceland, destroying some houses. Most of the remaining homes are still unoccupied. — Sergey Ponomarev/The New York Times

AS a swarm of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions began to rip through south­western Iceland in late 2023, a firefighter named Helgi Hjorleifsson jumped into action.

Lava was heading towards the evacuated town of Grindavik, a power plant and the Blue Lagoon – one of Iceland’s most popular tourist attractions.