Timelapse video shows Mexico's 'volcano of fire' erupting once more

Colima has erupted more than forty times since the sixteenth century

(ITN)

Stunning timelapse footage from Mexico shows the country's famous "volcano of fire" lighting the night sky and spewing ash into the air, forcing authorities to seal off the area and encourage residents nearby to retreat.

The Colima volcano, which lies near Mexico's west coast on the border of the states of Colima and Jalisco, sparked into life at the weekend, causing ash to rain down onto communities below and forcing lava to make its steady retreat down the side of the crater.

The airport in Colima was closed due to the ash, while residents were evacuated.

"The communities in this 12-kilometer radius are very small and don't exceed 800 inhabitants. They have all been evacuated," said Luis Felipe Puente, national civil protection coordinator.

The interior ministry in Mexico said that there were three likely scenarios: a 1913-esque explosion (one of the largest in its history), a collapse of the volcano's dome or a reduction in activity. Authorities are continuing to monitor the volcano's activities.

Colima has erupted more than forty times since the sixteenth century and most recently erupted in January of this year.

Timelapse video from January showed a small white cloud of smoke soon explode into a huge plume of ash and gas, with the explosion not just dominating the skyline but the whole volcano itself becoming engulfed in smoke.