Mexicans Near Volcano Shun Evacuation Calls

As Mexico’s Popocatepetl volcano rumbled, residents in nearby towns largely ignored calls to evacuate Saturday, strolling in open plazas to watch the cone spout plumes of smoke and ash.

Officials rang church bells and drove through the streets to alert residents after up to 40,000 people in 17 towns at the volcano’s base were asked to leave the area, the first evacuation since 1994.

The volcano, which has had one of its most active weeks in two years, continued to spew ash, smoke and vapor Saturday. Officials compared the mountain to a blocked pressure cooker, saying they feared that the unprecedented seismic activity within could be signs of a pending eruption.

The 17,886-foot volcano, which has been shooting out ash and rock intermittently since December 1994, is 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. But even a major eruption would likely only dust the area’s 20 million residents with ash.

At higher risk are the small communities dotting the volcano’s base--like Santiago Xalitzintla, which could be directly in the path of lava or debris.

Aurelio Fernandez Fuentes, director of the University Disaster Center in the city of Puebla, said the volcano’s chambers Saturday appeared to be blocked by a dome of cooled lava at the base of the crater, causing pressure to build up inside. The pressure could trigger an explosion, possibly ejecting rocks and other debris.

On Friday, seismic sensors recorded intense activity never before observed inside the volcano, possibly indicating movement of magma. On Thursday, the volcano threw ash over a 50-mile radius and spat incandescent fragments.