Indonesia ? An Indonesian volcano sent a new, powerful burst of hot ash high into the air early today, violently shaking homes and trees along the slopes and sending panicked villagers scurrying back to safety.

“This was a big one!” said 37-year-old Anto Sembiring, who fled his coffee shop not far from the crater’s mouth, joining hundreds of others gathered near Mount Sinabung’s base. “It shot up at least 3,000 yards.”

The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and visibility was limited to just a few yards.

Mount Sinabung erupted for the first time in four centuries on Sunday and Monday, catching many scientists off guard and forcing at least 30,000 people living along its fertile slopes in North Sumatra province to be evacuated.