A fountain of lava erupted from Mount Etna in Sicily on Thursday, sending a bright orange explosion from a crater up its flank.
Dark ash from the eruption fell on towns at the foot of the volcano, and video footage showed residents sweeping a thick layer of dust from streets and sidewalks.
Earlier this week, activity also intensified at Stromboli, a nearby volcano in the Aeolian Islands, with huge clouds of ash and debris falling into the sea.
Both volcanoes are active and erupt periodically, but are experiencing a particularly high level of activity, said Claudio Peri, an inspector for Sicily’s fire department.
Marco Neri, an Italian volcanologist, said the crater from which Etna’s lava fountain erupted had been dormant for about four years but began erupting about two weeks ago, culminating in Thursday’s explosion.
He added that the ash cloud had reached nearly 15,000 feet and that winds had sent it toward surrounding towns.
The mayor of the Sicilian port city of Catania, Enrico Trantino, banned motorcycles for two days on Friday because of the risks associated with the ash and limited speed to about 30 kilometres per hour for cars.
The runway at Catania airport was rendered unusable on Friday due to volcanic ash, the airport posted on social media, adding that arrivals and departures were suspended at least until the afternoon.
Although Mr Peri, the fire inspector, said authorities had issued a maximum alert level for the Stromboli volcano, none of the eruptions posed a direct threat to residents.
“It’s a spectacle,” he said, “but it doesn’t create problems.”
