Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano Explodes, Sends Ash 1Km High

Mexico’s famous Popocatepetl volcano exploded Monday night sending a plume of ash 1.2km into the sky that has covered some houses in the area with the carbon.

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The Civil Protection of Mexico (CPM) reported by Twitter that at around 9:40 pm Monday night the volcano, that lies between the states of Mexico, Puebla, and Morelos exploded, covering 2.5 km of its slopes with molten lava. The state agency warns residents in the area to avoid the 12 km radius around the active site that is now at ‘phase yellow’ meaning people should watch for pyroclastic flows and wear protective masks because of ash in the air.

The geological event was recording by National Center for Disaster Prevention of Mexico (Cenapred) cameras located in the state of Puebla. Images show Popocatepetl’s abrupt detonation and subsequent red lava flow against the night time darkness.   

Popocatepetl is a volcano that has been active for 25 years, Ramon Espinasa Pereña, deputy director of Cenapred Volcanic Risks told CNN previously. ‘Popo’, as its locally known, exploded earlier this week, but had remained calm over the past several days until the Monday eruption.​​​​​​​

Cenapred reports that there have been “43 ... explosions of water vapor, gas and … slight amounts of ash,” along with low scale tremors in the area. The active volcano is located about 70 km south of Mexico City.

No heavy damages have been reported.