A new eruption started a few hours ago from several vents at the NW foot of the Dolomieu central cone in the Enclos area, marking the first eruption of the volcano since 2023.
As of late evening 18 Jan 2026, a few hours into the eruption, at least 3 vents have opened spread along a fissure over approx. 500 distance. Webcam imagery shows lava fountains and several lava flows quickly traveling northeast.
The eruption had been preceded by increased seismic activity and raised alert status since early January.
Piton de la Fournaise (French: [pitɔ̃ də la fuʁnɛz]; English: "Peak of the Furnace") is a shield volcano on the eastern side of Réunion island (a French overseas department and region) in the Indian Ocean. It is currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world, along with Kīlauea in the Hawaiian Islands, Stromboli and Etna in Italy and Mount Erebus in Antarctica. A previous eruption began in August 2006 and ended in January 2007. The volcano erupted again in February 2007, on 21 September 2008, on 9 December 2010, which lasted for two days, and on 1 August 2015. The most recent eruption began on 7 December 2020. The volcano is located within Réunion National Park, a World Heritage Site.
Most eruptions of Piton de la Fournaise are of the Hawaiian style: fluid basaltic lava flowing out with fire fountaining at the vent. Occasionally, phreatic eruptions (groundwater steam-generated eruptions) occur. Lava flows crossing the Grand Brûlé occasionally reach the sea. Piton de la Fournaise is one of the most active volcanoes in the world, with more than 150 recorded eruptions since the 17th century.
The uppermost section of the volcano is occupied by the Enclos Fouqué, a caldera 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide. High cliffs, known as remparts in French, form the caldera's rim. The caldera is breached to the southeast towards the sea. The eastern flank of the volcano is unstable and is in the initial stages of failure. It will eventually collapse into the Indian Ocean, but whether or not it will generate a "megatsunami" is controversial.[citation needed] There is evidence of earlier failures on the submerged flanks and surrounding abyssal plain. The lower slopes are known as the Grand Brûlé ("Great Burn"). Most volcanic eruptions are confined to the caldera.

Inside the caldera is a 400 metres (1,300 ft) high lava shield named Dolomieu. At the top of this lava shield are Bory Crater (Cratère Bory) and Dolomieu Crater (Cratère Dolomieu), which is by far the wider of the two and named for French geologist Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu.
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