On the night of September 19, fire broke out at the Lava Show by the Reykjavík harbour. It took the fire brigade four hours to extinguish the fire, with teams present into the early morning to ensure sparks had not lodged themselves in the roof of the building.
Reports indicate that the fire itself posed no significant danger, but it did produce large amounts of smoke.
According to Júlíus Ingi Jónsson, manager of the Lava Show, the exact cause of the fire is still being investigated.
“This is of course a shock, but we are very happy that all the security systems worked,” he stated. “Interior damage is minor and all equipment is in good condition. Of course, the most important thing is that no one was harmed. It ended well, and you could say that this was a good safety check on the business before we open to the public.”
The Lava Show has operated out of Vík on the South Coast of Iceland since 2018. Conditions of a volcanic eruption are simulated by melting lava and metals at very high temperatures and pouring them in a controlled exhibition hall.
The Reykjavík Lava Show had been slated to open this October 1. It is unclear whether Lava Show will still be opening its latest location on time in light of the recent incident.
In a public Facebook post, the new Reykjavík location is described as taking “the experience up a notch with its focus on the largest volcano eruptions in Icelandic history.”
