A significant volcanic eruption has occurred, releasing a massive cloud of hot ash into the atmosphere. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) reported an “ongoing explosive eruption” at Kanlaon Volcano in Negros Island Region of the Philippines earlier today.
Visuals depict a dense, dark smoke ascending above the volcano post-eruption, with the city of Canlaon situated approximately five miles from the summit. Additional imagery highlights the impact of the eruption at Kanlaon Volcano.
PHIVOLCS has provided further information on the eruption, describing it as a “moderately explosive event” lasting two minutes and producing a 2,000-meter high dark gray eruption plume above the crater.
A video illustrates the magnitude of the eruption, prompting the Office of Civil Defense in the Philippines to issue an emergency alert and cautionary message. The statement advises vigilance against pyroclastic flows and ashfall resulting from the eruption towards the southwest around 4:39 PM today, February 19, 2026.
The eruption occurred shortly before 5 pm local time on Thursday, with Mount Kanlaon situated on Negros Island in the Philippines, an active volcano boasting a peak elevation of 2,465 meters. Nearby cities including Bago, La Carlota, San Carlos, and Canlaon, as well as the municipalities of Murcia and La Castellana, are in close proximity to the volcano.
The recent eruption at Kanlaon Volcano in the Negros Island Region of the Philippines has emitted a substantial plume of hot ash into the atmosphere, impacting the city of Canlaon located about five miles away from the summit.
