(CNN) Authorities in the Philippines are warning people to stay clear of the volatile Mount Mayon volcano after multiple eruptions overnight spread lava and ash for kilometers.

A thick column of ash streamed five kilometers into the air above the volcano, in Albay province in southeastern Luzon, and spread over neighboring districts, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said in a statement Tuesday.

Falling ash left Guinobatan, a town of around 80,000 people, in a state of "zero visibility," according to affiliate CNN Philippines.

LOOK: Zero visibility in Guinobatan town, Albay due to heavy ashfall after #MayonVolcano explosion https://t.co/gs7NTo1uFU



📸: Vince Casilihan pic.twitter.com/cYt86ypiEl — CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) January 22, 2018

PHIVOLCS said it had also detected "two explosion-type earthquakes" as well as dozens of rockfalls and "lava fountaining episodes" in and around the crater on Monday.

The alert level for Mayon volcano -- the country's most active volcano -- was raised to four from three last week after it exhibited increasing seismic unrest and summit explosions. The highest level -- five -- means a hazardous eruption is underway.

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