Kanlaon Volcano erupted for two minutes on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 19, followed by a sustained 40-minute ash emission, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported.
The moderately explosive eruption began at 4:39 p.m., with the subsequent ash venting lasting until 5:25 p.m., PHIVOLCS resident volcanologist Mari Andylene Quintia of the Kanlaon Observatory in La Carlota City said.
The eruption generated a dark gray eruption plume that rose 2,000 meters above the crater before drifting southwest, PHIVOLCS said.
Pyroclastic density currents (PDCs) descended the southern and southwestern upper slopes within 1 kilometer of the summit crater, as recorded by the IP cameras of the Kanlaon Volcano Network, it added.
Alert Level 2 is maintained over Kanlaon Volcano, and entry into the 4-kilometer-radius Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ) is strictly prohibited, PHIVOLCS said.
The eruption caused ashfall and sulfuric smell in 40 barangays in seven local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office reported.
The LGUs affected by the ashfall and sulfuric smell were Bago City, Pontevedra, La Castellana, La Carlota City, Moises Padilla, Hinigaran and Valladolid in Negros Occidental.
The 4-kilometer permanent danger zone around Kanlaon had been cleared of residents previously, so no preemptive evacuation was necessary on Thursday evening, the Office of Civil Defense said.
A shockwave or vibration during the explosion was felt in La Castellana, Moises Padilla, Pontevedra, San Enrique, and Hinigaran, also in Negros Occidental.
No ashfall was reported in Canlaon City in Negros Oriental.
The Police Regional Office – Negros Island Region (PRO-NIR) activated its contingency and response measures following the advisory from PHIVOLCS on Kanlaon’s moderate explosion.
PBrig. Gen. Arnold Thomas Ibay directed the police on Negros Island, particularly those within identified danger zones and adjacent municipalities, to implement proactive measures to ensure public safety and security.
Police units on the ground are closely coordinating with Local Government Units, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Bureau of Fire Protection, and other partner agencies to support any evacuation operations, maintain peace and order, and assist affected communities.
Personnel have been deployed to conduct intensified monitoring of high-risk areas, assist in traffic management, secure evacuation centers, and ensure the readiness of mobility and communication assets, Ibay said.*
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