
A Mexican volcano that has been active on and off since 1994 has erupted over Santiago Xalitzintla village in Puebla, Mexico, blanketing the city in dusty, white ash.

The Popocatépetl volcano began erupting around 2.30am on Monday, sending ash two miles into the air.

The eruption sent glowing rock hurling through the air as far as a mile away from the crater.

Scroll down for video

Explosion: Popocatépetl, a volcano in Mexico, erupted around 2.30am on Monday sending ash and smoke nearly two miles into the sky

The plume covered an area home to approximately 25 million people in the area of Puebla, Mexico. The thick smoke and ash have since caked the city in white dust

The plume was so thick it forced Puebla International Airport to close from 7am until approximately 1pm, according to Mexico News Daily.

Civil Protection authorities warned against approaching the volcano.

'It is important to respect the security radius of 12 kilometers (seven and a half miles) due to the danger of incandescent fragments being emitted,' national coordinator Luis Felipe Puente tweeted on Monday.

A webcam pointed at the volcano caught the moment it erupted on Monday morning.

First a bright burst of light appears, whiting out the screen, only to reveal the plume shooting upward and incandescent, blazing lava and rock cascading down the mountain's side.

Dust and ash have settled on the city since the early morning explosion and officials are urging people to wear masks to avoid inhaling the fine grit that has covered houses and cars.

Officials have warned locals to wear masks to avoid inhaling the dangerous ash and dust released from the Popocatépetl volcano on Monday

People are using surgical masks to protect themselves from inhaling the dangerous soot that is currently covering the Mexican city

The amount of soot and ash released was so dense, the Puebla International Airport was forced to shut down from 7am until 1pm Monday

Locals have been cleaning ash and soot off of cars and roadways since the massive eruption sent lava sliding down the mountain

Locals have been cleaning ash and soot off of cars and roadways since the massive eruption.

It can cause respiratory problems and damage car and plane engines.

About 25 million people live within 62 miles of the crater of the 17,797-foot stratovolcano.

The volcano has erupted frequently over the years and has already seen activity multiple times in 2016.

On January 7, Cenapred, the Center for Natural Disasters in Mexico, said ash had been released from the volcano, covering the surrounding area.

Popocatépetl sent a massive column of ash 6,500 feet into the air on March 29, according to the Guardian.

Earlier this month on April 3 another violent explosion sent dust and soot more than a mile into the air over the city, according to UPI.

The last eruption that forced the city to evacuate was in 2000 and 40,000 people were forced to flee their homes due to the eruption.

Active voclano: The Popocatépetl volcano has been extremely active for the last 22 years. It has already erupted numerous times in 2016

On January 7, Cenapred, the Center for Natural Disasters in Mexico, said ash had been released from the volcano, covering the surrounding area (picture from April 18)

Popocatépetl sent a massive column of ash 6,500 feet into the air on March 29. Similarly to Monday's eruption, a seven and a hlaf mile radius has been deemed a 'security zone' and locals are not allowed to cross the perimeter (picture from April 18)