Calbuco Volcano: See 9 Stunning Photos From the Chilean Volcano

April 26, 2015 4:02 PM EDT

Last week’s eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile was its first in more than four decades. Officials issued a red alert for a nearby city, Puerto Montt, and evacuated more than 1,500 people in a six-mile radius of the volcano—some 600 miles south of Santiago—as ash began to spew into the air.

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Lightning illuminates a cloud of ash as lava spews from the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile on April 23, 2015.Martin Bernetti—AFP/Getty Images

The sun illuminates ash from the Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015.Alex Vidal Brecas—EPA

An ash-covered boat sits in the backyard of a home just north of the Calbuco volcano on April 23, 2015.Ivan Alvarado—Reuters

Ash rises from the Calbuco volcano, seen from Puerto Varas city, just miles north of the eruption — Ash rises from the Calbuco volcano, seen from Puerto Varas, just miles north of the eruption, April 22, 2015.Carlos Gutierrez—Reuters

A child's bicycle sits, covered in ash on the outskirts of Calbuco volcano, which after 40 years of inactivity, erupted — A child's bicycle sits covered in ash on the outskirts of Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015.Felipe Trueba—EPA

Children from Puerto Varas look on as ash rises from the Calbuco volcano on April 22, 2015.Carlos Gutierrez—Reuters

A man sweeps volcanic ash from the rooftop of his home in Puerto Varas, Chile, April 24, 2015.Luis Hidalgo—AP

The entrance of a house is covered in a thick layer of ash from the eruption of the Calbuco volcano in Chile, on April 23, 2015.Luis Hidalgo—AP

Lava and lightning illuminate a cloud of ash during an eruption of the Calbuco volcano on April 23, 2015.Francisco Negroni—AFP/Getty Images

See 9 Stunning Photos From the Volcano Eruption in Chile

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