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Iceland’s volcano eruption cuts off hot water supply to thousands after shooting lava 260 feet in the air
Thousands of residents of southwest Iceland had their hot water supply cut off amid “severe frost” overnight – because of lava. The region’s third volcanic eruption since December sent lava flows that officials say damaged pipes that supply hot water to the area.
“We don’t have any hot water because the lava field is over the pipes,” Keflavík resident Bryndis Thorsteinsdottir told Reuters, saying tens of thousands of people have been impacted. “It’s very difficult for us. And we don’t know anything.”
The latest eruption broke out around 6 a.m. local time Thursday northeast of Mount Sýlingarfell, spewing lava fountains roughly 260 feet in the air and giving rise to a nearly 2-mile volcanic plume. The Icelandic Met Office said in its latest update on Thursday that lava has flowed just under 3 miles from the site of the eruption, but that activity seemed to be diminishing. The erupting fissure is also believed to be just under 3 miles long.
“The vigor of the eruption continues to decrease,” the office said. “…The explosive activity which began between 13 and 14 o’clock (1 p.m. to 2 p.m. local time) is now mostly over, but minor convective clouds rise from some parts of the fissure.”
Icelandic Met Office
While the eruption activity seems to be diminishing, it continues to have a drastic impact on locals.
The country issued a state of emergency on Thursday after the lava damaged the main hot water pipe from Svartsengi to Fitja, the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management said. That damage cut off hot water to parts of Keflavík, Sandgerði and Garður, according to the Iceland Monitor, prompting officials to urge residents and businesses to conserve electricity and hot water.
“Transfer tanks store hot water in the area, and now that the pipeline is gone, it’s the only water left in the area,” the department said on Thursday, adding that the tanks “will probably last 6 to 12 hours” under conservation measures, and “on normal daily use … 3 to 6 hours.”
“Residents can use an electric oven, but the Public Safety Authority reiterates that each property can only use one electric oven,” the department said. “The electrical system cannot withstand more use. If everyone starts the ovens at the same time, the system can fail.”
The hot water supply was cut off ahead of a “severe frost” that was expected overnight, officials said, sending many in the area into a frenzy to find sources of heat. The U.K.’s Met Office reported temperatures in the city reached 17F overnight.
“It’s like a Black Friday sale on electric heaters. Everybody’s trying to keep their houses frost-free, to keep warm,” Keflavík resident Jon Jonasson told Reuters. “… Some houses don’t have any hot water. … It’s going to be a cold few days until they fix it.”
By Thursday night, officials said hot water reserves in the tanks were “depleting rapidly,” but on Friday, they said contractors “worked all night” to provide a hot water bypass pipe to residents. That work, however, came with unexpected issues.
“There will be a delay in allowing hot water to be released to the new bypass pipe at the Njarðvíkur pipe that was flooded by lava yesterday. The work on the new pipe has gone well, but there has been a slight delay,” officials said Friday shortly after noon local time. “…Now it is set to be able to run hot water on the pipes at midnight tonight.”
Even if successful, it will take a few days for the full supply to return. Officials said it can take up to two days for the water to regain full pressure, so people will need to use their supplies “sparingly.”
Thursday’s eruption is the third to hit the country’s Reykjanes peninsula since December. The area is a popular arrival spot for tourists, serving as home to the Keflavík International Airport and renowned geothermal spa the Blue Lagoon. Both spots have been affected by the most recent eruption, with the lagoon being forced to close on Thursday and Friday, and the airport losing its hot water, according to the Iceland Monitor.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.