MANILA (2nd UPDATE) — Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island erupted early Tuesday morning, sending a plume of ash 4,000 meters into the sky and prompting local school cancellations due to ash fall.

The moderately explosive eruption started at 5:51 a.m. and lasted nearly an hour, with some residents hearing audible rumbling sounds amid its unrest, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said in an afternoon bulletin.

Several localities in Negros Occidental reported potentially toxic “thin” ash fall while some areas “strongly experienced” sulfurous fumes, state seismologists said.

PHIVOLCS: LAVA ERUPTION POSSIBLE; GRASSFIRE ONGOING

Phivolcs also warned that while the volcano did not spew lava, Tuesday’s event “may be followed by similar short-lived explosive eruptions in the short term or even progress to lava eruptions that generate lava flows and lava fountaining activity.”

Meanwhile, superheated ballistic fragments thrown around the crater ignited grassfires near Kanlaon Volcano’s summit, the agency said.

Potentially hazardous pyroclastic density currents or PDCs descended on the southern slopes within a kilometer of the crater, in the jurisdiction of La Castellana, said Phivolcs, urging residents to refrain from entering the 6-kilometer radius of the summit crater.

“Local government units must also prepare their communities within the PDC hazard zone for subsequent evacuation in case unrest further escalates and hazardous worst-case explosive eruption becomes imminent,” Phivolcs said.

LAHAR WARNING

“Increased vigilance must be exercised should intense rains occur since loose ash or pyroclastic material have been deposited in the upper slopes and could easily be eroded to generate lahars and sediment-laden streamflows in channels draining the southern and western portions of the edifice,” Phivolcs said. 

Phivolcs chief Teresito Bacolcol said Tuesday’s outburst was comparable to Kanlaon’s December 9 eruption, which had a similar plume height. 

The area around the volcano was still under evacuation orders when the eruption occurred. The level three alert — out of a scale of five — put in place during December's eruption remained unchanged.

Bacolcol said the explosive eruption could have been caused by blocked conduits, causing overpressurization, noting a higher alert level might be hoisted if the volcano’s condition worsens.

DARKNESS DESCENDS AMID ASH FALL

La Carlota Mayor Rex Jalando-on said ash fall affected the upland barangays of Ara-al, Yubo, San Miguel and Haguimit, prompting authorities to suspend classes. 

He urged residents to wear masks to prevent respiratory ailments caused by the ash fall.

La Castellana, Negros Occidental Mayor Rhummyla Mangilimutan said ash fall also affected the villages of Mansalanao and Sag-Ang.

The mayor said the winds were carrying the ash and steam from the volcano in a southwest direction towards La Carlota.

“Tuloy-tuloy ang usok sa bunganga, ‘yung maitim na usok, at sa gilid meron din. Super dilim na ‘yung part papuntang La Carlota,” she said in a separate interview.

Classes in the municipality have been suspended, the mayor said, while the emergency management team has been placed on alert.

Some 1,300 residents are currently staying in evacuation centers, she said.

PALACE ASSURES ASSISTANCE

Malacañang on Tuesday said the government was working to assist residents affected by the eruption.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said that upon the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DSWD Central Visayas was working closely with affected local governments to provide family food packs and non-food provisions.

“At sa ngayon po, Level 3 pa rin po ayon po sa Phivolcs ang alert po so nandoon pa rin po ang panawagan ng mga LGUs na huwag po pasukin iyong six-kilometer radius danger zone,” she said. 

The Palace also assured that LGUs would be given the necessary assistance after local authorities reportedly appealed to the national government for additional funding. 

“Kung kinakailangan po, ito po’y titingnan po, titingnan pong mabuti kung ano po ang pangangailangan ng mga LGUs at agad-agad pong bibigyan po ito ng tulong,” Castro said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines has issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) for flights near Mt. Kanlaon, with vertical limits from the surface up to 22,000 feet.

The NOTAM will be in effect until April 9, 2025, at 5:51 a.m.

Flight operators were advised to avoid flying near the volcano due to the potential hazards posed by volcanic ash.

Kanlaon, one of 24 active volcanoes in the Philippines, erupted in December, prompting the evacuation of surrounding villages.

In September, hundreds of nearby residents were evacuated after the volcano spurted thousands of tons of harmful gases in a single day.

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