Thousands of people who live around the slopes of 8,350-foot high Mount Sinabung in Sukanalu, North Sumatra, Indonesia, have been forced to leave their homes, fearing spewing ash and lava from the rumbling volcano. Sinabung has sporadically erupted since September. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 12, 2014: Villagers ride on a truck as they inspect the damage on a coffee plantation. Authorities extended a danger zone around the rumbling volcano a week ago after it spewed blistering gas farther than expected, sending panicked residents streaming down the sides of the mountain. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 10, 2014: A mother holds her son as they watch the eruption at Berastepu village in Karo district. More than 22,000 villagers have been evacuated since authorities raised the alert status for Sinabung to the highest level in November 2013, local media reported on Friday. (Reuters / Beawiharta)
Jan. 10, 2014: A flower is seen as a villager rides a motorcycle along a road, next to plants covered with ash from the eruption. One booming recent explosion triggered a panicked evacuation. Men with ash-covered faces streamed down the scorched slopes on motorcycles, followed by truckloads of women and children, many crying. (Reuters / Beawiharta)
Jan. 10, 2014: The Mount Sinabung volcano spews ash. Dozens of eruptions have belched lava and searing gas down the southeastern slopes and up to three miles away, said Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Clouds of gas and lava reached as high as 13,000 feet. (Reuters / Beawiharta)
Jan. 9, 2014: Hot lava flows from the crater as seen from Gundaling, North Sumatra. Nugroho said that the danger zone southeast of the volcano extends three to four miles from the crater's smoldering mouth. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 9, 2014: The feet of a farmer are caked with volcanic ash from the eruption. More than 20,000 people have been evacuated from villages around the crater into several temporary shelters since authorities raised the alert status for Sinabung to the highest level in November. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 8, 2014: A man watches as Sinabung spews volcanic materials in Sibintun, North Sumatra. "We were tired here ... we've lost everything. We wonder about our lives after this disaster," said Anton Sitepu, a father of four who is among the villagers in a cramped shelter in Telagah village. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 7, 2014: Mount Sinabung spews lava and volcanic ash, as seen from Tiga Kicat, North Sumatra. An eruption in 2010 killed two people and caught scientists off guard because the volcano had been quiet for four centuries. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 6, 2014: An Indonesian man watches Sinabung spewing smoke in Perteguhan, North Sumatra. Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan said airlines were notified to avoid routes near the mountain. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 4, 2014: A motorcycle is covered in volcanic ash after one eruption. Mount Sinabung is among about 130 active volcanoes in Indonesia, which is prone to seismic upheaval due to its location on the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines encircling the Pacific Basin. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 3, 2014: Indonesian men watch Mount Sinabung spewing volcanic materials during an eruption in Tiga Kicat, North Sumatra. (AP Photo/Binsar Bakkara)
Jan. 1, 2014: Birds fly past Mount Sinabung as it spews clouds of gas during an eruption in Tiga Pancur, North Sumatra. The 8,530-foot volcano has sporadically erupted since September. (AP Photo/Dedy Zulkifli)