12102014Wed
Last updateMon, 08 Dec 2014 1pm

No danger to public after Colima Volcano exhales vigorously, authorities say

An exhalation of the Colima Volcano midday on Friday sent a plume of smoke and ash soaring three kilometers into the sky.  

Colima and Jalisco Civil Protection officials set up a restricted zone of five kilometers around the volcano but said there is no requirement for anyone to evacuate the area.

The Colima volcano is located 100 miles southwest of Guadalajara.

National Civil Protection Coordinator Luis Felipe Puente said the latest vocanic activity did not represent a danger to the public.

The exhalation was the strongest recorded in over a year, Colima Civil Protection Director Ricardo Ursua told reporters.

Winds are expected to carry ash over the state of Jalisco to the municipalities of San Gabriel, Tamazula, Tonila, Tuxpan, Zapotlán El Grande and Zapotitlán de Vadillo.  

Residents of Ciudad Guzman, the largest town in the region with a population of 98,000, began preparing Friday afternoon for ash to fall on their homes.

Authorities have advised residents of all communities located near the volcano to use masks to cover their faces when outdoors and keep their windows closed and curtains drawn.   

The closest homes to the volcano's crater are nine kilometers away.

Despite its name, the volcano lies within Jalisco's boundaries on the border of Colima.