Mount Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, is not only the highest active volcano in Europe at 10,810 feet (3,295 meters), but is one of the most active in the world. Historical observations of Etna’s eruptions go back as far as 3,500 years, with geological observations reaching back hundreds of thousands of years. While recent eruptions have rarely caused serious damage to the farms or villages in the shadow of the volcano, locals remain alert to any activity.
Villagers and tourists look at fiery lava coming down the slopes of Mt. Etna in 1971. Thousands flocked to the foothills and slopes of the 10,902-foot-high volcano to see the most spectacular eruptions since 1928.#
Mount Etna spews out fresh lava on July 26, 2001 in the latest and most spectacular phase of an eruption, leading the government to declare a state of emergency in the area. The lava flow reached a car park 10 meters away from the Sapienza refuge, a popular tourist spot offering shelter from bad weather, after bulldozers piled up earth and hardened lava from earlier eruptions into barricades.#
An excavator is used to attempt to divert a stream of lava erupting from Mount Etna after it reached a parking lot near the Sapienza Rifugio, at Nicolosi, Sicily, on July 26, 2001.#
Fireman monitor lava as Mount Etna spews out fresh lava on October 27, 2002. Rivers of boiling lava poured down Mount Etna, engulfing small buildings and threatening a mountain lodge after a series of earthquakes awakened the volcano.#
The snowcapped Mount Etna erupts not far from Zafferana Etnea village, in Italy, on April 12, 2012. The south-eastern crater, “born” in 1971, has been the most active in the last few years.#
Lava spews from a crater of the Etna on July 30, 2011 in Catania. The lava flowed into a valley overnight and did not present a danger to inhabited areas.#
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Dogs, cats, and other animals that were left behind, or caught in the storm, are being rescued and cared for by owners, neighbors, and first responders.
