The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned on Saturday against forest fires in the path of lava flows from Mayon Volcano.

Lava flows from Mayon's crater had spread 5.4 kilometers to the southeast. The burning rocks threatened the forest and villages in the area, Phivolcs said.

Phivolcs reported that lava's absolute elevation reached 320 meters. At least 394 tremors and four low-frequency volcanic quakes were monitored in the last 24 hours. Sulfur dioxide emission was at about 6,089 tons per day.

The authorities maintained Alert Level 3 over Mayon and warned residents around the area against going into the six-kilometer permanent danger zone.

Mayon volcano sits in Albay Province, some 300 kilometers southeast of Manila. It last exploded in 2001, forcing 40,000 villagers to flee their homes.

Source: Xinhua