Indonesia

Jakarta, Indonesia (CNN) -- A restless volcano in northern Indonesia erupted Friday, spewing clouds of ash as high as 2 kilometers into the sky, the country's National Disaster Management Agency said.

The authorities are warning residents to stay away from the volcano, Mt. Lokon, in North Sulawesi, said Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the disaster management agency.

A 2.5 kilometer exclusion zone had already been set up around Mt. Lokon, which had been showing signs of activity in recent days.

A series of eruptions by Mt. Lokon in July prompted the evacuation of thousands of local residents. The volcano also erupted in October and December.

Indonesia is located on the "Ring of Fire," an arc of fault lines circling the Pacific Basin that is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.