Mexico's Colima volcano erupts, making 1.5 mile ash plume

MEXICO CITY, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Mexico's Ministry of Interior said the Colima volcano has generated eruptions that have created ash plumes up to 1,000 feet tall.

Luis Felipe Puente Espinosa, the Interior Ministry's public safety coordinator, said in a statement that the latest eruption occurred early Tuesday, and created an ash plume about 1.5 miles tall. Ash could fall up to 30 miles away from the volcano, he said.

The Colima volcano -- known by Mexicans as the Volcano of Fire -- is in Mexico's Colima state, a small state on the Pacific coast. Authorities have also declared an exclusion zone in neighboring Jalisco state.

"Respect the radius of exclusion of 4.6 miles in Jalisco and 7.4 miles in Colima," the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The Interior Ministry said ash will mostly affect areas east and west of the volcano, while areas within about three miles of the volcano are at risk of falling volcanic debris.