Authorities called for evacuations within 6km of the crater. One of the Philippines' most active volcanoes fired a dark column of ash thousands of metres into the sky Friday in a "moderately explosive eruption" that lasted nearly six minutes, the. Mayon Volcano erupts in the Philippines, sending an ash plume 3,000 metres high. Phivolcs raises alert to Level 3 and urges evacuation within six kilometres.