Helga Arnadottir, a spokeswoman, said that this was the fifth evacuation order since the volcano first roared back to life last year. The evacuation went as “smoothly as the ones before,” Ms. Arnadottir added. Another 300 people had to move from Grindavik, a fishing town that has largely been abandoned since January after lava and earthquakes from previous eruptions destroyed parts of it. The island nation’s economy relies heavily on tourism; airlines and travel agencies have reported a drop in sales since the eruptions began in December. By Wednesday evening, lava had reached the barriers surrounding Grindavik that had been put in place to redirect the flow away from the town.

---

Persons: Helga Arnadottir, Ms, Arnadottir, Magnus Gudmundsson Organizations: Keflavik Airport, New York Times Locations: Grindavik