Lava flows nearing 6-km danger zone boundary

LEGAZPI CITY — Albay Gov. Fernando Gonzales ordered the formation of a security team to prevent onlookers from getting close to lava flows which have gotten near the boundary of the six-kilometer permanent danger zone at the southeast flank of Mayon Volcano.

Jaime Sinsioco, officer-in-charge of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology’s volcano monitoring and eruption prediction division, said lava has advanced up to 5.9 kilometers in Barangays Mabinit and Bunga in Legazpi City.

Sinsioco, however, said there are no houses in the affected area, thus they see no need to expand the danger zone.

"But the advancing lava flows are causing fire on the vegetation," he said.

Every day, the lava, according to Sinsioco, advances by 100 to 300 meters down the slopes of Mayon.

In a bulletin, Phivolcs said Mayon’s sulfur dioxide emission has gone down but earthquakes and tremor episodes continued.

Gonzales was concerned that onlookers might be caught by pyroclastic flows as what happened in 1993 when 77 farmers were killed when Mayon suddenly spewed ash.

The governor has designated the Cagsawa Ruins, Our Lady of the Gate Church, elevated areas in Daraga town, the Lignon Hill, the Legazpi City airport, and the Mayon International Hotel, among others, as Mayon viewing sites.

"There is still a high probability that the volcano will soon erupt," said resident volcanologist Ed Laguerta.

He said Mayon has extruded about 18 million cubic meters of hot molten rocks since July 15.

"The lava flows are not so dangerous compared to the pyroclastic flows because the danger zone can be extended as lava flows," he said.

The only danger with slow moving lava is that it burns everything on its path, he added. — Celso Amo, Cet Dematera and Sheila Crisostomo