JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian authorities raised the alert for Mount Semeru volcano to the highest level on Wednesday after a series of eruptions, prompting evacuations. The volcano is the highest peak on Java, the most densely populated island in Indonesia.

Mount Semeru in East Java province unleashed avalanches of searing clouds of hot ash and a mixture of rock, lava and gas that traveled up to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) down its slopes several times since midday to dusk, while a thick column of hot clouds rose 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the air, Indonesia’s Geology Agency said in a statement.

The eruption throughout the day blanketed several villages with falling ash and forcing authorities to raise the volcano’s alert level twice, from the third-highest level to the highest,

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