Lava flowed from a newly opened crack in the Cumbre Vieja volcano on Spain's La Palma on Friday, carving a different path from previous flows and raising fears of more destruction, while fine ash forced islanders to don masks and goggles, Trend reports citing Reuters.
A river of red-hot lava snaked downhill from the new fissure, which burst open late on Thursday around 400 metres (1,300 ft) to the north of the primary eruption site.
Multiple vents have opened since the volcano began erupting on Sept. 19 but the Canaries Volcanology Institute described the latest opening as a new "focus of eruption".
"There is concern about the path of this new flow towards the sea, although it is expected to join up with the previous one within the next few hours," said the head of La Palma's council, Mariano Hernandez Zapata.
He said more houses had been engulfed by lava overnight.
"We have more drama ahead, more people to take care of," he told a news conference.
About 6,000 people have been evacuated since the eruption began and are yet to return home. More than 800 buildings including houses, churches and schools have been destroyed.