BACOLOD CITY - Three sitios in Barangay Sag-ang, La Castellana, Negros Occidental were affected by ash fall and sulfuric odor from a minor explosion of Kanlaon Volcano on Thursday afternoon, Feb. 6.

THE La Castellana municipal government in Negros Occidental distributes face masks to Barangay Sag-ang following ashfall from the minor explosion of Kanlaon Volcano on Thursday, Feb. 6. (Photo courtesy of La Castellana Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office)
Remuel Lajo, public information officer of La Castellana, said that residents of Sitios Mercedes, Pacita, and Isabel in Barangay Sag-ang experienced the effects of the explosion.
He said that shaking and loud noise were felt in these areas.
Lajo said that it was raining when the explosion happened, resulting in a mudflow at Buhangin River in Sitio Mercedes connected to a river in the neighboring town of Isabela.
He said that they are discussing their emergency response in case the situation escalates. “We are preparing our transport vehicles for a possible evacuation,” he added.
Lajo said that they are assessing if there’s a need to evacuate residents from these sitios, especially those vulnerable, due to health hazards.
These sitios are situated outside the six-kilometer Permanent Danger Zone (PDZ), he added.
Some netizens said that ash fall was seen and sulfuric odor was experienced in Barangay Antipolo, Pontevedra town.
In Moises Padilla town, mudflow was reported at Intiguiwan Bridge but there were no reports of ashfall.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported that a minor explosion occured at the summit crater at 3:11 p.m.
The explosion lasted for two minutes based on seismic and infrasound records, but the event was barely visible via IP camera on the southern side of the edifice due to cloudy weather.
This happened almost two months since the Dec. 9, 2024 explosive eruption that displaced thousands of residents in Negros Island.