(CNN) A hiker was killed Wednesday after a series of eruptions from one of the most active volcanoes on Earth rocked the small Italian island of Stromboli, a fire official said.

Firefighters were deployed to extinguish fires started by the eruption, and a helicopter was dispatched to rescue hikers who signaled distress, according to the Italian fire and rescue service, Vigili del Fuoco. Fire service spokesman Luca Cari said fire brigade teams recovered the body of one hiker.

Firefighters rescued a second hiker, Cari said.

The two primary eruptions occurred around 4:46 p.m., local time, on the island, which is located in Tyrrhenian Sea, off the western coast of Italy, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology reported. Those eruptions were preceded by lava spills about two minutes prior.

"The analysis of the data of the seismic network made it possible to identify, in addition to the major explosions, about 20 minor explosive events," according to the institute.

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