(CNN) – Authorities ordered evacuations in two cities on the Spanish island of La Palma on Wednesday night, as spewing lava advanced dangerously close to them, but said on Thursday that residents could return home briefly to retrieve some of their belongings.
The emergency services of the Canary Islands, in tweets late on Wednesday, said the eviction order affected “40 to 50 homes” in different neighborhoods in the towns of Tazacorte and Los Llanos de Arridan.
La Palma Island Council tweeted Thursday that residents of affected neighborhoods can return, with officials, to quickly remove their belongings.
It’s a sight that has repeated several times since Cumbre Vieja volcano began its eruptions on September 19, resulting in the evacuation of more than 6,000 people so far.
Authorities said the lava destroyed more than 807 hectares of land, more than a quarter of farmland, and destroyed more than 1,950 homes.