Ashfall were reported in some areas in the Province of Negros Occidental following the explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano on Tuesday, April 8, 2025, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD 6).

In a report of GMA News Online, OCD 6 Director Raul Fernandez, who was interviewed on Dobol B TV, said that the affected areas are Barangay Sag-Ang in La Castellana town; Barangays Yubo and Ara-al in La Carlota City; as well as Bago City.

“May mga reported na pong ashfall. May mga abo na pong nakarating sa kanilang barangay,” Fernandez said.

“Sa ngayon po, nagkakaroon na rin ng evacuation doon sa affected areas outside the six-kilometer permanent danger zone at maaari pong magkaroon ng suspension po ng classes,” he added.

The report also cited that as of this posting, a total of 8,000 residents have evacuated from their homes since the December 9, 2024 eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, according to Fernandez.

Several areas suspended classes on April 8, 2025 due to Kanlaon eruption.

In an interview on GMA Integrated News’ Unang Balita, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) Chief, Dr. Teresito Bacolcol, said that ashfall was also reported in Barangay Cubay in La Carlota City.

Bacolcol said inhaling ashes can be dangerous especially to those who have respiratory problems.

“Kapag may problema po tayo sa baga, pwede pong lumala 'yung mararamdam natin kasi 'yung volcanic ash ay binubuo po ito ng maliliit at pira-pirasong mga bato, mineral, at volcanoclastics,” Bacolcol said.

“Kapag nakalanghap maaaring magdulot ito ng iritasyon sa mata, ilong, lalamunan. At sa mga may respiratory condition katulad ng asthma, maaari itong magpalala ng sintomas,” he added.

In a press statement, Social Welfare and Development Secretary Rex Gatchalian expressed readiness to dispatch family food packs and other needed aid to families affected by another explosive eruption of Kanlaon Volcano.

He said over 250,000 boxes of family food packs [FFP] were prepositioned in the warehouses of DSWD’s Field Office (FO) 6 – Western Visayas and 7-Central Visayas ahead of the ongoing explosive eruption.

“As I speak, our Field Offices in Western and Central Visayas are closely coordinating with affected local government units so we can get real-time updates on the status of affected families, and their need for more provisions of family food packs and non-food items,” Gatchalian said.

“We expect the numbers of evacuees may spike again, but we are ready. Our nearby warehouses are capacitated. In fact, apart from the more than 100,000 FFPs in Negros Island, we have over 2.5 million boxes of FFPs prepositioned in other warehouses across the country which we can tap anytime for our relief response,” he said.

Apart from FFPs, the agency also has P865,447,008-worth of non-food items such as kitchen kit, family kit, sleeping kit, hygiene kit, and laminated sacks, among other relief items.

Kanlaon Volcano on Negros Island had an explosive eruption at 5:51 a.m. on April 8, 2025, PHIVOLCS said. The eruption ended at 6:47 a.m.

Alert Level 3 [intensified unrest/magmatic unrest] remains in effect over Kanlaon Volcano, which means there is a high level of volcanic unrest. 

Magmatic intrusion to shallow levels of the edifice is driving unrest, with indications that a hazardous eruption could occur in weeks.

Possible hazards from the volcano include sudden explosive eruption, lava flow or effusion, ashfall, pyroclastic density current (PDC), rockfall, and lahar during heavy rains.

(via GMA News Online/GMA Integrated News)