LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: Turning from politics though now, people near Mexico City got to see a spectacular light show last night. This one, though, had nothing to do with the holiday season. You can see it in the pictures: The Popocatepetl Volcano erupted about 40 miles southeast of Mexico City. CNN Mexico City bureau chief Harris Whitbeck reports.</s>HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The strongest volcanic eruption that Mexico has experienced in 100 years jolted thousands of residents of small communities that ring the Popocatepetl Volcano. The Popo, as it is commonly known, had been rumbling for days, scientists comparing it to a pressure cooker that was slowly preparing to explode. When it finally erupted Monday evening, the Popo threw showers of flaming rock and sparks of lava into the air. For the previous week, government experts had been warning a violent volcanic activity and telling inhabitants of nearby communities to evacuate. But it wasn't until Monday's spectacular show of volcanic force that most people heeded the government's suggestions to evacuate. Some 41,000 people live in small farming communities near the volcano, but over the weekend, only about a fourth of them had evacuated their homes. By late Monday, however, roads were filled with vehicles carrying people to safety. Mexican President Vicente Fox said, on national television, things were under control.</s>PRESIDENT VICENTE FOX, MEXICO (through translator): The Mexican airport is still in full operation, the Mexican army is helping the population of the area, and the federal police are guaranteeing the security of the families.</s>WHITBECK (on camera): But the state of emergency continues. The authorities want to attempt a helicopter flyover of the volcano's crater, to try to determine what it might do next. But after nearly seven decades of practical dormancy for the Popo, that might be hard to predict. Harris Whitbeck, CNN, San Nicholas de los Ranchos, Mexico.</s>STOUFFER: And our apologies for the poor quality of that video there: It was not your television, it was our tape, and we're sorry for that.
Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City; Strongest in 100 Years