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Brushfires, Snowstorm, Kayak Iceberg, Hospital Ship & Easter Egg Tasting
Monday, 23 February, 2026
Are you enjoying this? Are you not? Tell us what to do more of, and what you'd like to hear less of. Brushfires On The Outskirts Of ReykjavíkSunday saw a massive brushfire near Elliðavatn, on the outskirts of Reykjavík. South Iceland has been having a dry spell and the brushfires spread as a result of that. According to Veitur, the company that takes care of providing water to the city of Reykjavik, the water supply to the city, located next to where the main brushfire raged, escaped the worst, but only because of a favorable wind direction. All of the fire departments in the Capital Area had to be called out to deal with the situation and to put out the fire. Over the weekend, two other brushfires had to be put out, one in Kjalanes, and another one in Norðlingaholt, both within the boundaries of ReykjavíkSnowstorm On The South CoastThe Road just west of the town of Vík, and all the way west to Seljalandsfoss, was closed for two hours during a snowstorm on Sunday, which both saw a truck drift drift off the road, closing it, and a bus with 27 tourists running of the road and into a ditch, nobody was hurt. Traffic was severely interrupted, and farmers in the general area of the south coast helped the SAR with tractors, in pulling out cars that had skid off the road or got stuck in snow.Kayak Turns Out To Be A Small IcebergThe Police in Reykjavík were called on location because of what was thought to be a kayak upside down in Skerjafjörður. After the police arrived on a boat with a drone, it turned out that the supposed kayak was a lump of ice.Skiing Slopes In Akureyri OverflowedThe police had to be called out to control traffic in the ski area of Akureyri, Hlíðafjall. Icelandic schools had a winter break on Thursday and Friday, which saw thousands of parents take their kids skiing in the north. The caretaker of the skiing area was asked if he had any advice for the skiers. His reply? “No, but I’d like to point out to the municipalities to maybe not all have the winter break during the same week.”Reykjavík’s Emergency Rooms Still OverflowingThis ongoing story has gone nowhere, although the Ministry of Health is reportedly trying to negotiate with a private health care company, Klínikin, for space for about 10-20 patients, of the around 100 spaces needed the elevate the overflow at the emergency facilities in Fossvogur hospital.Icelandic EastSupport the show------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SHOW SUPPORTSupport the Grapevine's reporting by becoming a member of our High Five Club: https://grapevine.is/high-five-club/Or donate to the Grapevine here:https://support.grapevine.isYou can also support the Grapevine by shopping in our online store:https://shop.grapevine.is------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ This is a Reykjavík Grapevine podcast.The Reykjavík Grapevine is a free alternative magazine in English published 18 times per year, biweekly during the spring and summer, and monthly during the autumn and winter. The magazine covers everything Iceland-related, with a special focus culture, music, food and travel. The Reykjavík Grapevine’s goal is to serve as a trustworthy and reliable source of information for those living in Iceland, visiting Iceland or interested in Iceland. Thanks to our dedicated readership and excellent distribution network, the Reykjavík Grapevine is Iceland’s most read English-language publication. You may not agree with what we write or publish, but at least it’s not sponsored content.www.grapevine.is
