Philippines raises alert level at restive volcano after spewing cloud of ash

FILE PHOTO: A view of the Mount Bulusan volcano in Irosin town of Sorsogon province, south of Manila, February 23, 2011. REUTERS/Erik de Castro

MANILA (Reuters) - A restive volcano in the central Philippines spewed a column of ash at least 1 km (0.6 mile) into the sky on Sunday, prompting authorities to raise the alert at Mount Bulusan by one notch and remind residents not to enter the danger zone.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised its alert on Bulusan to level 1, or low level of volcanic unrest, from 0 on a five-level scale, which means it is currently in an "abnormal condition."