Philippine Volcano Spews Smoke…

LEGAZPI, Philippines (AP) - A Philippine volcano spewed thick, ash-laden smoke and burning rocks high into the air on Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of at least 2,000 villagers, officials said. Mayon Volcano, one of the Philippines’ most active, shot smoke up to 3.7 miles into the air, but there were no signs that a major eruption would occur, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said. Disaster officials said there were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.

The volcano is in Albay province, 210 miles southeast of Manila. Residents in Albay’s capital city of Legazpi said they felt the ground shake mildly as the volcano spewed ash and smoke shortly before noon, sending many residents running out into streets. “There was a loud booming sound, then a cloud of ash billowed like a cauliflower,” said Ed Laguerta, head of the seismology institute in Albay. The ash and steam ejection lasted for about four minutes, then the ash column slowly drifted down on villages on the eastern slope of the 8,125-foot volcano.

Albay Governor Al Francis Bichara said the volcano also shot out burning rocks that ignited brush fires along a gully on Mayon’s eastern slope, far from villages. He said at least 2,000 people were being evacuated to school shelters from three villages on the slope of or near the volcano. He said the villagers could return once the volcano stabilizes. “Mayon has become so unpredictable and we can never tell when it’s going to erupt. It could go off in the middle of the night,” Bichara said. Residents near the volcano have been taught to wear gas masks or cover their faces with wet towels or shirts during ash ejections to avoid pulmonary problems, Laguerta said. Mayon, a popular tourist attraction, last erupted in February 1993, killing at least 70 people.

Scientists have been closely monitoring the volcano since it released ash-laden steam on June 22. Officials have advised about 1,800 families living in six villages within about 3.5 miles of the summit to voluntarily leave for safer areas, but many ignore such warnings. The danger zone was demarcated after the 1993 eruption.

Mayon’s most violent eruption was recorded on Feb. 1, 1814. The eruption killed more than 1,200 people and buried an entire town in volcanic mud flows. The Philippines is in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” where there are frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity.