SASKATOON -- Since Sept. 19, plumes of smoke and rivers of bright red lava have been spewing out of the volcano on Spain's La Palma island and slowly transformed the area into a vista of destroyed homes and abandoned neighbourhoods.
Since the first eruption, lava and ash have covered or destroyed 1,100 buildings, including homes, farms, swimming pools, and at least one entire industrial park. The lives of thousands of residents on La Palma have been upended.
The following photos show the progression of the volcano’s devastation since it began erupting in September 2021.
THE FIRST WEEK
On Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, lava began flowing from a volcano eruption near El Paso on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, which is just northwest off the coast of Africa. (Europa Press via AP)
Lava from a volcano eruption covered and destroyed houses on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Police officers and municipal workers look on as lava from a volcano eruption flows on the island of La Palma in the Canaries, Spain, Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021. The volcanic eruption and its aftermath on a Spanish island could last for up to 84 days, according to the Canary Island Volcanology Institute’s calculations, which are based on the lengths of previous eruptions on the archipelago. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
THE SECOND WEEK
Lava flows from a volcano on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain were seen in the early hours of Tuesday Sept. 28, 2021. (AP Photo/Saul Santos)
On Wednesday Sept 29, 2021, lava from a volcano that erupted Sept. 19 on Spain's Canary Islands finally reached the Atlantic Ocean, after wiping out hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of thousands of residents. (AP Photo/Saul Santos)
THE THIRD WEEK
Ash covers a house, car and garden, with the volcano erupts on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain in the background on Monday Oct. 4, 2021. (AP Photo/Saul Santos)
In this satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies, lava can be seen flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain’s La Palma island entering the ocean on Oct. 7, 2021. (Satellite Image 2021 Maxar Technologies via AP)
People watch the volcano as it continues to spew lava on the Canary island of La Palma, Spain on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. (AP Photo/Daniel Roca)
THE FOURTH WEEK
A new satellite view from the European Space Agency on Sunday Oct. 10 shows a lava river from the volcano on La Palma, Spain. (European Space Agency, captured by its Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite)
A close-up view into the crater of the volcano on La Palma, Spain on Sunday, Oct. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Daniel Roca)
