COPENHAGEN—A volcanic eruption began in southwestern Iceland near the capital Reykjavik on Friday following thousands of small earthquakes in the area in recent weeks, the country’s meteorological office said. The eruption occurred near Fagradalsfjall, a mountain on the Reykjanes Peninsula, located around 30 km (19 miles) south-west of the capital. “I can see the glowing red sky from my window,” said Rannveig Gudmundsdottir, resident in the town of Grindavik, only 8 km (5 miles) from the eruption. “Everyone here is getting into their cars to drive up there,” she said. More than 40,000 earthquakes have occurred on the peninsula in the past four weeks, a huge jump from the 1,000-3,000 earthquakes registered each year since 2014. Pictures on local media websites showed a bright red night sky. A picture posted on Twitter by the Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO) showed smoke rising from brightly glowing lava streams. The eruption posed no …