Netflix’s ‘La Palma’ Is Full of Action and Drama, but Is It Based on a True Story?

Considering how much content they put out every month, it’s no wonder that Netflix has turned to history books to help them find interesting stories to share with the world. The outlet is known for wild true crime content, such as the recently released Kings of Tupelo docuseries, though they’ve also been able to find success by putting a fictional spin on history. The Children’s Train and La Palma are great examples of this – the former follows a young boy in Italy as he and thousands of others leave their poor families to move in with wealthy strangers and secure a better future. If you’re craving more action than emotion from your next binge-watch, the latter limited series might be more your speed.

La Palma, a Norweigan project created by Martin Sundland, Lars Gudmestad and Harald Rosenløw Eeg is the No. 1 show on Netflix at the time of publication. It blends family drama with action by telling the fictional story of a couple’s annual Christmas vacation with their kids gone wrong. While characters like Fredrik and Jennifer may not be inspired by actual figures, the volcano they encounter during their stay in the Canary Islands – Cumbre Vieja – certainly exists in real life.

Limited Series Follows a Family on Christmas Vacation in the Canary Islands

Early on in the Kasper Barfoed-directed series, a freak accident kills tourists exploring La Palma on a glass-bottomed boat. In the following days, Fredrik and Jennifer take their kids Sara and Tobias to the Canary Islands for their annual Christmas vacation. The family is lucky enough to get a major room upgrade, setting their vacation off on a high note, but elsewhere, danger is looming.

Things take a turn for the worst when researchers Marie and Haukur learn that a volcanic eruption could cause damage to La Palma and surrounding islands, potentially even impacting other continents. As a series of earthquakes strike the vacation destination, Marie and Haukur urge their boss, Álvaro to take immediate action to protect as many lives as possible. Fredrik, Jennifer and their kids try to stay together as chaos boils over on the island, desperately fighting for their lives as Cumbre Vieja makes her presence felt.

The Cumbre Vieja Last Erupted in 2021, Killing One Person

As Tudum notes,  the story depicted in La Palma isn’t real, but you can visit the westernmost island paradise in the area with your loved ones. The Cumbre Vieja has been erupting for 125,000 years and is considered the most active volcano on the Canary Islands, last flaring up in 2021. Though the eruption spanned 85 days (making it the longest-known and most damaging event on the island in recorded history), thankfully the mortality rate was low; one person died due to inhalation of toxic gasses, with approximately 7,000 others evacuating to stay safe.

Lava flow from the 2021 event covered 2,500 acres of land, spanning as wide as 2.2 miles and 3.9 miles long. It reaches the sea on its journey, destroying buildings, cutting the coastal highway and forming a new peninsula and an extensive system of lava tubes. The damage that came in its wake amounts to 843 million euros, according to the Europa Press. Prior to this, the Cumbre Vieja erupted in 1971 (known as the Teneguía eruption), killing a nearby photographer due to asphyxiation before damaging roads, crops and homes on La Palma.