Volcano erupts, firing ash plume 3 miles into sky

"Japanese meteorological agencies said the Shinmoedake volcano had erupted in the early hours sending a plume of ash 5.5 kilometers (3.4 miles) into the sky.
Officials warned of large cinders falling across a near-2 mile radius from the volcano, which sits in the Kirishima mountain range on Kyushu, a large southern island of Japan." msn