Taal volcano has simmered with smaller ash ejections in recent days after erupting on Jan. 12 with a gigantic plume of steam and ash that drifted northward and reached Manila, the capital, about 65 kilometres away.

There have been no reports of deaths or serious injuries from the sudden eruption, which began Sunday, but many houses and farms have been damaged by volcanic ash.

Experts say the volcanic lightning in Manila began when water interacted with magma in an explosive fragmentation of hot rock under Lake Taal.