Two fissures formed near the town on Sunday after an increase in seismic activity that prompted authorities to evacuate the community the day before.
A first eruption began at 8am when a crack opened in the ground about 450 metres from the town. Protective barriers of earth and rock pushed lava from the first fissure away from the town. However, a second crack then opened around midday on the edge of town, measuring around 100 metres by the evening, with that lava engulfing the homes.
Comment: Meanwhile over the same 4 week-period the eastern side of the country has endured record-breaking floods: