Volcanic Ash Closes Sicily Airport
Pastor Dale Morgan
Volcanic Ash Closes Sicily Airport
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The Associated Press
November 25, 2006; 9:22 PM
CATANIA, Sicily -- Volcanic ash spewed from simmering Mount Etna on
Friday, forcing authorities to close a nearby airport, officials said.
The Fontanarossa airport, the main facility in eastern Sicily, would
stay closed at least until early Saturday, "when the state of the
volcanic phenomenon and possible reopening of the airport will be
examined," the airport said on its web site.
Smoke rises out of Mount Etna framed by the Sicilian town of Catania,
southern Italy, Friday, Nov. 24, 2006. Volcanic ash from Mount Etna fell
on Catania on Friday, forcing authorities to close the airport
overnight, airport officials said. Italy's civil protection agency said
there was no damage. (AP Photo/Francesco Saya) (Francesco Saya - AP)
"This is all part of Etna's normal activity," said Antonella Scalzo, a
geologist with Italy's Civil Defense Department. "The ash is a nuisance,
it's not a precursor of a change in activity."
The 10,974-foot-high volcano resumed eruptions in early September and
has sent lava streaming as far down as 7,546 feet. Scalzo said that is a
safe distance from people's homes, which don't go any higher up the
volcano than 2,297 feet.
Civil Protection Department spokesman Roberto Forina said the only
damage from the ash had been the airport's closure.
Mount Etna, Europe's biggest and most active volcano, springs to life
every few months. In 1669, a huge eruption destroyed Catania, on
Sicily's eastern coast. Etna's last major eruption was in 1992.