Lake Of Fire: Drone Footage Of Icelandic Lava River

The stunning footage was captured by US videographer Eric Cheng in February and shows smoke and fire burning off the black marbled lava.

The lake is part of the huge Holuhraun lava field which started erupting in the Nordic country in 2014 and is around 84 sq km – which is almost the size of Manhattan.

Eric, who lives in San Francisco, explained that the ferocious volcanic heat and the sub-zero temperatures meant the drone cameras, which flew 164ft above the lava, had to be managed carefully.

He said: “The heat was quite intense and all of our drones came back partially melted - one was melted so badly that it was a miracle it was able to fly home.

“We were also worried that there would be issues related to the cold.

“It was winter in Iceland, and we were onsite for three days - during most of that time, we were just trying to keep the drones covered to protect them from the snow and the wind, and to keep the batteries relatively warm, which we did using an electric blanket in a van.

“Aside from the hazards of the lava spewing up from the lake, we had to be really careful because of the poisonous gas emission.”

The 39-year-old insisted that despite the difficult conditions the experience of seeing an active lava lake was special.

He said: “I think surreal is the only word that properly describes how I felt - there is nothing quite like a gigantic, exploding cauldron of lava to inspire a bit of awe.

“Everyone who has seen the video has been fascinated.

“Some people had seen, in the past, pictures and video of a volcano from a helicopter – but not a wide-angle, low-altitude video over a lava lake like the one at Holuhraun.”