LOS ANGELES (LALATE) – The Mount Sinabung Volcano has erupted today causing Sumatra residents of the northern region to evacuate. The Sinabung volcano has not erupted in 400 years, the last time showing volcanic activity in the year 1600.

Now as many as 12,000 residents near the northern Sumatra volcano have been evacuated from the region often dubbed the Pacific Ring of Fire. Surono, head of the region’s nation volcano disaster alert system, told AFP today “Initially we thought the ash and smoke were triggered by rain but now we know the driving pressure was from magma. It’s clearly dangerous so we’ve raised the warning to the highest level, or red level.”

Smoke is said to be spreading 1500 meters into the air. Surono (who local news notes goes by the single name as “Surono”) says residents under evacuation tonight are being housed in government building and houses of worship. “The situation is under control. Emergency response teams are already on the scene,” said Priyadi Kardono of the National Disaster Management Agency.

Evacuations as of 9 PM PST Saturday are for a 3.7 mile radius around the volcano. Yet with no data on the volcano in 400 years, officials say they are monitoring the situation with no data on predicting its advances for residents.