Volcano Erupts in Chile Sending Plume of Ash Miles into Sky (VIDEO)

Residents of Southern Chile within a 10 mile radius of Volcano Calbuco were all evacuated on Wednesday after it erupted for the first time since 1972, sending ash and smoke shooting into the sky.

The Onemi emergency office of Chile issued a red alert following the massive eruption, causing approximately 1,500 residents to flee the area.

"The eruption happened about half an hour ago. There are a lot of people out in the streets, many heading to the gas stations to fill up on gas," Derek Way, a resident of Puerto Varas, told Reuters during the evacuation.

— Sernageomin (Chile) (@Sernageomin) April 22, 2015

The volcano is located near the tourist town of Puerto Varas, approximately 625 miles south of Santiago, the Chilean capital.

— Nicolas Piña (@Nicolaspinap) April 22, 2015

Just last month, the nearby volcano Villarrica saw a short-lived eruption as well, and witnesses watched lava and ash explode into the air.

— Eduardo Fuentes V. (@FuentesEduardo) April 22, 2015

Chile, located on the “Pacific Rim of Fire,” contains around 500 potentially active volcanoes, including the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia.  Volcano Calbuco is considered to be one of the top 3 most dangerous volcanoes in Chile although it had not erupted in over four decades.

— Raúl Palma (@raulpalma) April 22, 2015