Volcano Villarrica in southern . Chile erupted in the early hours of Tuesday , sending ash and . lava over 3,000-feet into the sky , and forcing the evacuation of nearby . communities . The volcano , located near the popular tourist resort of . Pucon around 750 km ( 460 miles ) south of the capital Santiago , . is one of South America 's most active . It last erupted in 2000 . Television pictures showed orange lava and ash shooting into . the night sky when it erupted at around 3am local time , although it looked quieter as dawn broke . Some 3,385. people had been evacuated as a preventative measure , said . Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo . This was partly because of the risk of floods caused by snow-melt . Scroll down for videos . Volcano Villarrica in southern Chile erupted in the early hours of Tuesday , sending ash andlava high into the sky , and forcing the evacuation of nearby communities . Some 3,385 people had been evacuated as a preventative measure , said Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo . Thousands of nearby residents have been evacuated , partly because of the risk of snow-melt from the eruption causing floods . The sight of the volcano erupting was both terrifying and beautiful , with this photograph capturing its sheer ferocity . The government held an emergency meeting with the police and . military in the presidential palace in Santiago on Tuesday . morning to discuss the situation . Chile , situated on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire , has . the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after . Indonesia , including around 500 that are potentially active . In 2011 , the eruption of Puyehue sent an ash cloud into the . atmosphere that disrupted flights in neighboring Argentina for . months . Penailillo said experts were flying over the Villarrica area . to determine next steps . Photographer Nicolás Gallo , who witnessed the blast from his village just just five and half miles away , said : 'It was 3am in the morning and I was sleeping in my house that is in a village in the hills of the city of Villarrica , about six miles from it to the west . Villarrica city is between 14 and 18 miles from Villarrica volcano , to the east near the Andes . 'So I wake up because of my dad and went to see what was happening , the volcano was days before throwing incandescent matter , and suddenly it starts to throw lava an a big wave of smoke . 'It was like that for about 1 hour and 30 minutes , not much , then it stopped . Everything seems to be normal but we are in alert . ' Chile , situated on the so-called Pacific Rim of Fire , has the second largest chain of volcanoes in the world after Indonesia , including around 500 that are potentially active . This is the crater of Villarica on Monday . In 2011 , the eruption of Puyehue sent an ash cloud into the atmosphere that disrupted flights in neighboring Argentina for months . Experts flew over Villarica ( pictured ) multiple times on Monday to determine how active it was . A view of the volcano from the nearby tourist resort of Pucon . It erupted at about 3am on Tuesday , local time . An eye witness six miles away said that the volcano erupted savagely , throwing lava in the air for around an hour and half . The eruption was visible for miles around , with streams of lava cascading down the side of the volcano . Terror : Locals leaving their houses after Villarica erupted . The National Emergency Office issued a red alert and ordered evacuations . The volcano is 460 miles to the south of the Chilean capital , Santiago , on the edge of the Andes mountain range .
The volcano , located near the popular tourist resort of Pucon , is one of South America 's most active . Television pictures showed orange lava and ash shooting into the night sky when it erupted on Tuesday . Thousands people had been evacuated as a preventative measure , said Interior Minister Rodrigo Penailillo .