A hiker exploring Chile 's natural wonders got the shock of his life on Wednesday afternoon when a volcano erupted before his eyes . A man identified as Walter Witt on YouTube was casually filming a serene forest with gentle waterfalls a short distance away from the foot of the 6,500-foot-high Calbuco volcano . Since being posted online the video has over 72,000 views . 'There are n't many people here , ' the hiker says in Spanish in the video . 'Beautiful , the volcano there ... 'he says just before the volcano begins to blow . Scroll down for video . Nothing to see here : This hiker 's surroundings are serene up until the moment a volcano erupts before his eyes and he runs for the hills . 'Wow , ' he then says with shock as he pics up his camera and travels as far away from the erupting volcano as he possibly can . The Volcano has been dormant since 1972 and neither scientists nor government officials predicted the eruption , reports Mashable . Volcano Calbuco , believed to be among the three most dangerous of Chile 's 90 active volcanoes , had erupted for the first time at 6pm local time on Wednesday . An estimated 1,500 people were forced to flee the nearby town of Ensenada after the eruption , while several smaller townships were also cleared . Locals described an apocalyptic scene as ash clouds were shot six miles into the air creating an incredible display of lightning and lava against the night 's sky . Another unexpected eruption in the Los Lagos Region heightened fears of local waters becoming contaminated , residents developing severe breathing problems and more flights being grounded . 'Beautiful volcano ' : The hikers speaks about the volcano 's natural beauty just seconds before it erupts . The ash covered cars and houses in cities as far as 18 miles away from the source of the eruption as another massive evacuation effort gets underway . Previous and equally violent eruptions at Calbuco have continued for up to a week , according to a volcanologist from Oxford University who told Dailymail.com it is impossible to predict what will happen next . The volcano is located near the tourist town of Puerto Varas and the city of Puerto Montt , a little more than 620 miles south of Chile 's capital , Santiago . The National Mining and Geology Service issued a high alert , setting up an exclusion zone of 12.5miles around the volcano , barring access to the area . Trevor Moffat , who lives in Ensenada , some six miles from the volcano , said the eruption happened without warning . Volcano Calbuco 's last major eruption happened in 1961 , with a weak eruption following in 1972 . He said : 'It sounded like a big tractor trailer passing by the road , rattling and shaking , guttural rumbling ... we left everything there , grabbed my kid , my dog , got in the car with my wife . Mr Moffat , who was originally born in Canada , said he was now driving his family to Puerto Varas . He added : 'All the neighbors were outside , a lot of young people crying . Armageddon type reaction . ' 'Wow ' : The hiker expresses his amazement at the volcanic eruption before quickly traveling to safe territory . Up in smoke : Volcano Calbuco , in southern Chile , erupted forcing 1,500 residents from Ensenada , about 10 miles away , to flee their homes .
A man identified as Volcano Calbuco on YouTube was casually filming a serene forest a short distance away from the foot of the Calbuco volcano . 'Beautiful , the volcano there ... 'he says just before the volcano begins to blow . Walter Witt had erupted for the first time at 6pm local time on Wednesday and has been dormant since 1972 .